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What are molecules?

What are molecules? Are they related to atoms? Do they have to do with acids?

Tiffany [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
- Atlanta, Georgia, United States
2003

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You did not mention what grade you are in or why you asking, Tiffany, so it's difficult to know in what depth to answer. But a molecule is a groups of atoms that is chemically bound together; for example a water molecule is a compound of two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen, and a salt atom is a compound of one atom of sodium and one atom of chlorine.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2003

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Tiffany, "atoms" are the basic building blocks of everything. They are made from three things called electrons, protons and neutrons. An atom is incredibly small, but can be imagined as being like our solar system; - the centre of the atom has a very dense "blob" called the nucleus and this is made from a mixture of neutrons and protons. Whizzing around the nucleus are the electrons, just like the planets fly around the sun. In a stable atom there are the same number of electrons as protons. There are 92 different types of atoms commonly found in nature.These are called "elements". There are more elements known, but they are not found in nature because they are unstable and man can only make them in special laboratories. When two or more "atoms" join together, they form a "molecule". "Acids" are just one type of "molecule" because they are made from a group of atoms that have joined together. I hope this answers your problem and makes things look clearer.

Science is fun and should be enjoyed, but before it can be enjoyed, you have to understand the basics. If you don't understand these, the teacher may as well be talking to you in ancient Afganistani for all the good it will do!

Trevor Crichton
R&D practical scientist
Chesham, Bucks, UK
2003

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2007

My name is Cat, I live in Campbelltown Australia,

I'm in grade 8, I'm doing an assignment on the atomic structure and one of my questions is

How are atoms related to molecules, elements and compounds?

I'm pretty sure I have it all worked out but one of my quotes I found says all compounds are molecules but not all molecules are compounds.

why not?

please it would be absolutely wonderful to solve this "puzzle".

thank you for your service

Cat :)

Catherine D
student - Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia

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Here's an example. Hydrogen is an element and oxygen is an element. One atom of hydrogen or oxygen is the smallest amount you can possibly have. In this case, one atom of hydrogen is the same as one molecule of hydrogen -- the smallest amount you can have.

Water is a compound of two atoms of hydrogen bound to one atom of oxygen. A molecule is the smallest amount of a substance that you can have. A molecule of water is two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen; take anything away and you no longer have water.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2007

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Hi I'm doing a science Report I'm in Grade 7 and the questions are.
What are molecules.
What holds molecules together.
what is an element.
whats the diff between a element and a molecule

thanks Andrew

Andrew Zalit
- Armstrong B.C. Canada
March 3, 2011

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March 7, 2011

Hi, Andrew.

No one fully understands the atomic and subatomic world; all we do is choose plausible visualizations that help us understand what will happen in different situations. So let me give you one more "picture" that may help.

Imagine that if you look close enough, everything everywhere is made of black, white, and red jellybeans plus some mystical forces that pull them together or drive them apart according to some rules that we have learned but don't fully understand. The black jellybeans are called protons, the white ones are called neutrons, and the red ones are called electrons. There are exactly as many black jellybeans (protons) in the universe as red ones (electrons): every black jellybean (proton) has a red one (electron) orbiting it much like the earth orbits the sun, or the moon orbits the earth. There are roughly as many white jellybeans as the other colors, but no rules that there has to be exactly as many.

A single black jellybean (proton) orbited by a single red jellybean (electron) is an atom of hydrogen.

If you stick two black jellybeans (protons) and two white jellybeans (neutrons) together with some superstrong glue that we only partially understand, there will be two red jellybeans (electrons) orbiting it. We call the blob of two protons and two neutrons that are stuck together "the nucleus". Two protons plus two neutrons with two electrons orbiting them is an atom of the element helium.

Three protons stuck together with three neutrons in a nucleus, and three electrons orbiting them, is an atom of lithium.

The pattern continues with only the minor change that there does not have to be exactly as many neutrons in the nucleus as there are protons. If there are 4 protons it's the element Beryllium; 5 and it's boron; 6 and it's carbon. And so it continues on up to 92 protons for the 92 different elements.

The glue that holds the nucleus together is incredibly strong and is never rendered in normal chemistry, only in atomic bombs and other cataclysmic forces.

There is a much weaker force called a chemical reaction that will hold atoms together to form molecules. An easy way to visualize this, which is not wholly right nor completely wrong, is that single atoms tend to be "unbalanced". Picture orbiting electrons as trying to fill 8 equally spaced holes like lugnuts on a truck wheel. Oxygen has 6 electrons in its outermost shell and hydrogen has one. This is the driving force that makes one atom of oxygen combine with two atoms of hydrogen to form one stable molecule of oxygen with eight electrons in its outer shell. It's what makes one atom of sodium with 1 electron in its outer shell combine with one atom of chlorine with seven atoms in its outer shell to form one stable molecule of table salt with 8 electrons in its outer shell.

So, what is a molecule then? It's the smallest possible quantity of a compound. If you have one atom of oxygen combined with two atoms of hydrogen, that's as little water as you can possibly have. Take anything away and it's no longer water. An atom is the smallest possible quantity of an element; take anything away (it's not easy to do!) and you no longer have that element.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey

I'm am doing an assignment on an element. I have been allowed to do it on any element of my choice. Unfortunately, I can't choose one. Could anyone give me some ideas. Please!

Faria L [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
Student - Sydney,NSW Australia
March 18, 2011

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There are 92 elements, Faria: atomic numbers 1 through 92.

What's your lucky number?

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
March 21, 2011