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Archive Question #0069
What is the difference between molecules, atoms
and particles?
A particle is a component of an atom. Atoms consist
of either neutrons, protons and electrons. An atom on its own appears
as an element in the periodic table.
A molecule is made up of one or more atoms which
can be either the same or different. Molecules can be either elements
(like a molecule of oxygen) or a compound (like a molecule of water
which contains hydrogen and oxygen in the ratio of 2:1 - H20 - see?).
There are lots of good chemistry sites to get you
started on this - we would go for the CheMystery
site which is listed on the HomeWork Elephant Chemistry pages.
James
Right, Molecules are made up of the SAME element
and can be ranging from 1 to about 4 of the same element. This all
depends on the number of electrons the atom has. An atom is the
form that the actual element is. This is made up of 2 parts, the
nucleus and the electronic shells. The nucleus contains protons
and neutrons ONLY, this makes up the heaviest bit of the atom. The
electronic shells are the lightest bit of the atom and the mass
is not recorded in the Periodic table. A particle is a number of
atoms in a substance. My teacher is constantly on about reactions
between 2 elements or compounds involving the particles of the substance.
Hope that lot all helps, if a bit long-winded(!) Have fun,
Ads
I don't know about particles but I know that molecules
are made up of 2 atoms a common molecule is H2 O, which is water.
Joanne
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