Integrated Science

Form 1.1
Ms. N. Teelucksingh
3 May 2021
rd
Molecules
• Molecules consist of one or more atoms bound together by covalent
(chemical) bonds.
• A molecule is the smallest thing a substance can be divided into while
remaining the same substance. It is made up of two or more atoms
that are bound together by chemical bonding.
 Molecules
• A molecule is defined as the smallest unit of a compound that contains
the chemical properties of the compound. 
• This does not mean that molecules can not be broken down into smaller
parts, e.g. the atoms from which they are formed or the fragments of the
molecule, each consisting of several atoms or parts of atoms.
• As atoms come together to form molecules, chemical bonds bind them
together. As a consequence of sharing or exchanging electrons between
the atoms, these bonds form. It is only the electrons that are ever active
in bonding in the outermost shell.
 Molecule model

Water is known to be a basic molecule consisting of a few atoms. Basic

molecular substances are molecules in which strong covalent bonds
bind the atoms. Nevertheless, weak forces bind the molecules together
so that they have high melting and boiling points.
What is the difference between atoms and
molecules?
• A tiny particle of a chemical element is called an atom, which may or
may not exist independently. Molecules refer to the group of atoms
that the bond binds together, representing the smallest unit in a
compound. Two or more identical or distinct atoms are chemically
bonded.