Tell atoms, molecules, and compounds apart - Organic Chemistry

1Lesson 1 of 34

Tell atoms, molecules, and compounds apart

A clear glass of water with a magnified circular inset showing many separate, identical H–O–H particles, each drawn as one red oxygen sphere bonded to two small white hydrogen spheres; minimal labels: “H”, “O”, “H₂O”.

Start with water

A glass of water looks smooth, but at the tiny-particle level it is a crowd of separate water particles. Each particle has the same recipe: two hydrogen atoms bonded to one oxygen atom.