All the matter around us that we see is made up of various atoms. Atoms differ from each other in structure, size and mass. There are more than 100 types of different atoms, more than 20 types of atoms were obtained by man and are not found in nature, since they are unstable and decay into simpler atoms.
However, even atoms belonging to the same type can differ slightly from each other. Therefore, there is such a thing as a chemical element - these are atoms of the same type. They all have the same nuclear charge, that is, the same number of protons.
Each chemical element has a name and designation in the form of one or two letters from Latin name this element. For example, the chemical element hydrogen is designated by the letter H (from the Latin name Hydrogenium), chlorine - Cl (from Chlorum), carbon - C (from Carboneum), gold - Au (from Aurum), copper - Cu (from Cuprum), oxygen - O (from Oxigeium).
The existing chemical elements are listed in the Periodic Table. It is often referred to as a system (periodic table), because there are certain strict rules by which this or that element is placed in its table cell. Regular changes in the properties of elements are observed in the rows and columns of the periodic table. Thus, each element in the table has its own number.
Atoms chemical elements do not change as a result of chemical reactions. The set of substances formed by atoms changes, but not the atoms themselves. For example, if as a result of a chemical reaction carbonic acid (H 2 CO 3) decomposed into water (H 2 O) and carbon dioxide (CO 2), then no new atoms were formed. Only the connections between them have changed.
Thus, an atom can be defined as the smallest chemically indivisible particle of a substance.
The most abundant element in the universe is hydrogen, followed by helium. These are the simplest chemical elements in structure. The remaining chemical elements account for about 0.1% of all atoms. However, the atoms of other chemical elements have greater mass than the atoms of hydrogen and helium. Therefore, if we express the content of other chemical elements in the Universe in mass percentages, then they will account for 2% of the mass of the total matter of the Universe.
On Earth, the abundance of chemical elements differs greatly when considering the entire Universe. Oxygen (O) and silicon (Si) predominate on Earth. They account for about 75% of the Earth's mass. Next in descending order are aluminum (Al), iron (Fe), calcium (Ca), sodium (Na), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), hydrogen (H) and many other elements.
Atom and ion are elementary particles of chemical elements. These particles are carriers of the properties of elements. They differ in their charges: an atom is neutral, and an ion can be positively or negatively charged.
Definition
Atom– an electrically neutral microscopic particle of a chemical element that determines its properties. The center of an atom is a positively charged nucleus, surrounded by an electron cloud, in whose orbitals electrons move. Atoms gain or lose electrons and become ions.
Ions– microscopic electrically charged, monatomic or polyatomic and chemically active particles. They have a positive (cations) or negative (anions) charge. Ions are formed from atoms or groups of atoms that gain electrons or, conversely, lose them.
Ions are independent particles found in any state of aggregation. They are found in gases (in the atmosphere), in crystals, in liquids (both solutions and melts) and in plasma (interstellar space.)
Ions in chemical reactions are able to interact with each other, with molecules and atoms. In solutions, these active particles are formed during the process of electrolytic dissociation and determine the properties of electrolytes.
Comparison
An atom is always electrically neutral; an ion, on the contrary, is a charged particle. In atoms, the outer energy levels, as a rule, are not complete (an exception is the group of noble gases). For ions, the external levels are completed.
An ion, unlike an atom, is not capable of possessing the properties of a simple substance. For example, potassium metal reacts violently with water, the products of which become hydrogen and alkali. But potassium ions present in potassium salts do not have similar properties. Chlorine is a yellow-green poisonous gas, and its ions are non-toxic and colorless.
The color of copper is red, and its ions in solutions become blue. Iodine crystals are gray, vapors are violet, the alcohol solution is red-brown, when mixed with starch it gives a blue color. Iodine ions cannot change the color of starch; they are colorless.
Conclusions website
- Atoms and ions of the same chemical element have different numbers of electrons.
- Charge of atoms equal to zero, for ions it can be positive or negative.
- Ions and atoms have different redox properties.
The ancient Greeks knew that all substances consist of particles. Around 420 BC e. The philosopher Democritus proposed that matter consists of tiny, indivisible particles called atoms. All substances are made up of atoms and molecules. Both the atom and the molecule were initially considered indivisible, and only later was it proven that this was not the case. How does an atom differ from a molecule?
Atoms- These are the smallest particles that make up a substance.
Molecules– these are also the elementary particles that make up any substance.
Comparison of atom and molecule
What is the difference between an atom and a molecule?
An atom is an elementary particle of matter. It has its own mass and size and is responsible for the properties of this substance as a chemical element. An atom consists of a nucleus and electrons that move in their orbits around the nucleus. It is the structure of the atom that determines the chemical properties of a substance. Atoms do not occur in a free state. They bind together and form molecules due to the electrical charges of the particles they are made of.
A molecule is what a substance is made of. Molecules can contain two or more atoms that are connected to each other by interatomic bonds. More precisely, we can say that the molecule consists of atomic nuclei and internal electrons that move in their orbits, as well as external valence electrons. Different molecules contain different numbers of atoms of a certain type and different quantities. The molecule has a complex architectural structure, where each atom has its own place and its own well-defined neighbors. The properties of a molecule are determined by how many atoms it contains. These properties are influenced by the order and configuration of the connection of atoms. The atomic structure that forms a molecule can be rigid, but not in all cases. Each atom is in continuous motion, it oscillates around its equilibrium position. In this case, a free molecule during its thermal movement has different configurations. The molecule is electrically a neutral particle. It is the smallest particle of matter that has its chemical properties. In the case of monatomic molecules such as noble gases, the properties of the molecule and the atom are the same. Atoms in a molecule are combined chemical bonds. Such a bond can be created by one or more pairs of electrons shared between two atoms. The molecule can exist independently.
How is an atom different from a molecule?
Atoms form a molecule. An atom consists of a nucleus and electrons that move in their orbits around the nucleus.
Molecules are made up of atoms.
An atom has an electric charge, but a molecule is neutral.
Only a molecule can exist independently.
Many centuries ago, people realized that any substance on earth consists of microscopic particles. Some time passed, and scientists proved that these particles really exist. They were called atoms. Usually atoms cannot exist separately and are combined into groups. These groups are called molecules.
The name “molecule” itself comes from the Latin word moles, meaning heaviness, block, bulk, and the diminutive suffix - cula. Previously, instead of this term, the word “corpuscle” was used, literally meaning “ small body" In order to find out what a molecule is, let's turn to explanatory dictionaries. Ushakov’s dictionary says that this is the smallest particle that can exist autonomously and has all the properties of the substance to which it belongs. Molecules and atoms are all around us, and although we can't touch them, all we really see are giant clumps of them.
Example with water
The best way to explain what a molecule is is to use the example of a glass of water. If you pour half of it, the taste, color and composition of the remaining water will not change. It would be strange to expect anything different. If you cast half again, the quantity will decrease, but the properties will again remain the same. Continuing in this manner, we will end up with a small droplet. It can still be divided with a pipette, but this process cannot be continued indefinitely.
Ultimately, you will get the smallest particle, the remainder of which will no longer be water. To get an idea of what a molecule is and how small it is, try to guess how many molecules are in one drop of water. How do you think? Billion? One hundred billion? In fact, there are about a hundred sextillion of them. This is a number that has twenty-three zeros after the one. Such a magnitude is difficult to imagine, so let’s use a comparison: the size of one is smaller than a large apple by as many times as the apple itself is smaller. Therefore, it cannot be seen even with the most powerful optical microscope.
and atoms
As we already know, all microscopic particles, in turn, consist of atoms. Depending on their number, the orbits of the central atoms and the type of bonds, the geometric shape of the molecules can be different. For example, human DNA is twisted in the shape of a spiral, and the smallest particle of ordinary table salt looks like this: If several atoms are somehow taken away from a molecule, its destruction will occur. At the same time, the latter will not go anywhere, but will become part of another microparticle.
After we have figured out what a molecule is, let's move on to the atom. Its structure is very similar to a planetary system: in the center there is a nucleus with neutrons and positively charged protons, and electrons revolve around it in different orbits. In general, the atom is electrically neutral. In other words, the number of electrons is equal to the number of protons.
We hope our article was useful, and now you no longer have questions about what a molecule and an atom are, how they are structured and how they differ.
What is the difference between the concepts “atom” and “molecule”? and got the best answer
Answer from Sunrise[expert]
an atom is smaller, one molecule can have several atoms (example - 2 hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom = water molecule)
Answer from Diana Mamina[guru]
A molecule is made up of atoms.
Answer from NO[guru]
Except common places, also by birth.
Answer from Air[newbie]
an atom is an electrically neutral system of interacting elements, consisting of a nucleus and electrons. , and a molecule is a compound consisting of 2 or more atoms
Answer from Durchlaucht Furst[guru]
An atom (ancient Greek ἄτομος - indivisible) is the smallest part of a chemical element, which is the bearer of its properties. An atom consists of an atomic nucleus and a surrounding electron cloud. The nucleus of an atom consists of positively charged protons and electrically neutral neutrons, while the cloud surrounding it consists of negatively charged electrons. If the number of protons in the nucleus coincides with the number of electrons, then the atom as a whole turns out to be electrically neutral. Otherwise, it has some positive or negative charge and is called an ion. Atoms are classified according to the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus: the number of protons determines whether the atom belongs to a certain chemical element, and the number of neutrons determines the isotope of this element.
Atoms various types V various quantities connected by interatomic bonds form molecules.
The concept of an atom as the smallest indivisible part of matter was first formulated by ancient Indian and ancient Greek philosophers (see: atomism). In the XVII and XVIII centuries Chemists were able to experimentally confirm this idea, showing that some substances cannot be further broken down into their constituent elements using chemical methods. However, in late XIX- At the beginning of the 20th century, physicists discovered subatomic particles and the composite structure of the atom, and it became clear that the atom is not really “indivisible.”
Molecule (New Latin molecula, diminutive from Latin moles - mass) is the smallest particle of a substance that carries its chemical properties.
A molecule consists of two or more atoms, characterized by the number of atomic nuclei and electrons included in it, as well as a certain structure.
It is usually assumed that molecules are neutral (carry no electrical charges) and do not carry unpaired electrons (all valences are saturated); charged molecules are called ions, molecules with a multiplicity different from unity (i.e., with unpaired electrons and unsaturated valences) are called radicals.
Molecules formed by hundreds or thousands of atoms are called macromolecules. The structural features of molecules determine physical properties substance consisting of these molecules.
Answer from Mariam Abdullah[newbie]
atoms also have an electric charge, while the molecule is neutral
Answer from Murvat Kazymov[newbie]
an atom is what a molecule is made of