



The atoms comprise of the subatomic particles like nucleus, neutrons, protons, and electrons, although atom doesn’t get divided into its sub-atomic particles.
#Difference between atom and molecule in tabular form free#
Atoms may or may not exist in the free state, but the molecules always exist in the free state. The atoms are less stable units as compared to the molecule, and to attain stability, they are highly reactive and form an immediate bond. Atom is a kind of unit of the matter as everything that occupies space and has mass is known as matter, and at the same time, the atom is the smallest unit that can exist in the Free State. The physical and chemical properties of the certain element are the same in the atom of that matter. In other words, we can say that all the objects around us i.e. The atom is like the cell, which is the smallest structural and functional unit of the living. The molecule can be further divided into atoms.Ītom is the smallest part of the chemical element that can exist in the Free State and also possess the chemical properties of its element. The molecule comprises of two or more atoms. The atom comprises of the subatomic particles like neutron, electron, and proton. The molecule is less reactive and more stable. The atom is reactive as it is less stable as compared to the molecule. Molecule always exists in the free state. Two or more atoms combine to make up the molecule.Ītom may or may not exist in the free state. (nontechnical usage) a tiny piece of anything Comparison Chart AtomĪtom is the smallest unit of the chemical element. More about bonding and the structure of atoms here, otherwise. The kind of bond we've been talking about here is called a "covalent bond," meaning that it's made by sharing electrons between two atoms. Like, will it stick to the wall or bounce off? Well, when we talk about polymers, how the atoms are bonded to each other can have a HUGE impact on what something made out of those polymers feels like and reacts when you bash it or step on it or throw it against the wall. For example, water is a liquid, hydrogen is a gas, and vitamin C is a solid. Changing which atom is bonded to which can change the properties of a molecule, that is, how it looks and acts - and that changes how a whole BUNCH of molecules hanging out together will look and act. So, molecules are atoms stuck together, but not just any old way. (If your legs were sticking out of your head, you'd act weird too!!) If you take those 20 atoms of vitamin C and mix them around, bonding them together in a different order, you'll have a totally different molecule that not only looks different, it acts different. One molecule of vitamin C is made up of 20 atoms (6 carbons, 8 hydrogens, and 6 oxygens - that's C 6H 8O 6). Look at that molecule of water again - each hydrogen has one bond, and the oxygen in the middle has two bonds. For example, a hydrogen atom forms one bond, an oxygen atom forms two, and carbon forms four bonds. Now, if you stick an oxygen atom in between those two hydrogens, you have a molecule of water - H 2O!Įach type of atom typically forms the same number of bonds (they tend to be stubborn that way). Pretty simple, huh?Ĭlick here to take a look at a 3-D model of hydrogen (H 2). For example, two atoms of hydrogen hook together to form a molecule of hydrogen, H 2 for short. If it's in the table, it's an element!Ītoms can join together - they form bonds together - to make MOLECULES. (We can call them by their names, or by their symbols - C for carbon, H for hydrogen, and O for oxygen.) All the elements are listed out in a periodic table. Carbon is an element, hydrogen is an element, and so is oxygen. Solids, liquids, gases - all matter - are made up of atoms (or other things, like molecules, that are made from atoms)!ĮLEMENTS are the kinds of atoms that we can have. Atoms are so small that there are millions and billions and trillions in the tiniest speck you can see. ATOMS are the basic building blocks of everything you can see around you, and even lots of things you can't see, like the air that you breathe. Let's talk tiny, and I mean really itty-bitty. OK, so - what's an atom and what does it have to do with molecules? If you already know what ATOMS and ELEMENTS and MOLECULES are and want to dive straight into polymers, click here.
