Bonds & ions

Molecule — অণু

Quick answer

A molecule is two or more atoms held together by covalent bonds — the smallest unit of a covalent substance.

Definition

A molecule is a group of two or more atoms held together by covalent bonds — the smallest particle of a covalent substance that still behaves like that substance. Molecules may hold one kind of atom, like the O2\mathrm{O_{2}} and O3\mathrm{O_{3}} of oxygen, or several kinds, like H2O\mathrm{H_{2}O}, CO2\mathrm{CO_{2}} and NH3\mathrm{NH_{3}}. A single grain of sugar carries nearly two billion billion molecules, all identical and each one sweet. Chemists count molecules in moles: one mole holds 6.022 × 10²³ of them.

For example

One water molecule (H2O\mathrm{H_{2}O}) is always two hydrogen atoms bonded to a single oxygen at 104.5°; the ozone (O3\mathrm{O_{3}}) molecules high in the stratosphere soak up the Sun's harsh ultraviolet rays.

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