Q13 E - Chemistry (OpenStax)

Question

How do molecules of elements and molecules of compounds differ? In what ways are they similar?

Step-by-Step Solution

Answer

The only difference between a molecule of a compound and a molecule of an element is that in a molecule of an element, all the atoms are the same. The molecule of element consists of only one kind of atoms but the molecules of an compound in made up of two or more kind of atoms.

Similarity between a molecule of a compound and a molecule of an element is that both of them are made up of atoms and have bonds linking their atoms together.

Describing the differences between molecules of the element and molecules of the compound

• The molecules of the elements have identical or homogeneous atoms while the molecules of the compounds have two or more dissimilar or heterogeneous atoms.

 

• The polarity of the molecules of the elements is zero within the molecule because of the identical atoms while it will not be the same in the molecules of compounds.

 

• The size of the atoms in the molecules of the elements is the same whereas in the molecules of the compounds is different.

Describing the similarities between molecules of the element and molecules of the compound

• The atoms within the molecules of the element and molecules of the compounds are connected by the chemical bond such as ionic, covalent, or coordinate bonds.

 

• They cannot be separated by using any physical process.

 

• They are physically found in three states such as liquid, solid, and gas.

 

Ex., Oxygen (O₂), fluorine (F₂), and sulfur (S₈) are the molecules of the elements, and water (H₂O) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) are the molecules of the compounds.