What is a molecule?

What is a molecule?

• A. A single atom
• B. An energy form
• C. A mixture of elements
• D. A particle of matter made of atoms

Answer: (D)

A molecule is a particle of matter formed when two or more atoms join together through chemical bonds. When atoms bond, they share or transfer electrons to stay connected, creating a stable unit with its own properties that are often different from the individual atoms. That means a molecule is the smallest unit of a substance that can exist as a single piece with those bonded atoms. A single atom isn’t a molecule because it isn’t bonded to other atoms. An energy form isn’t matter. And a mixture of elements is just substances physically mixed together, not one single bonded unit. For example, water is a molecule made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom bonded together, while oxygen gas is two oxygen atoms bonded to each other. So a molecule is best described as a particle of matter made of atoms joined together.

A molecule is a particle of matter formed when two or more atoms join together through chemical bonds. When atoms bond, they share or transfer electrons to stay connected, creating a stable unit with its own properties that are often different from the individual atoms. That means a molecule is the smallest unit of a substance that can exist as a single piece with those bonded atoms.

A single atom isn’t a molecule because it isn’t bonded to other atoms. An energy form isn’t matter. And a mixture of elements is just substances physically mixed together, not one single bonded unit. For example, water is a molecule made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom bonded together, while oxygen gas is two oxygen atoms bonded to each other. So a molecule is best described as a particle of matter made of atoms joined together.