A covalent chemical bond forms when atoms share their electrons with each other to complete the octet of electron configuration. The atoms in a molecule can bind with each other via covalent bonds or ionic bonds. A heteronuclear molecule forms when atoms of different chemical elements combine with each other. A homonuclear molecule forms when atoms of the same chemical element make up the molecule. These atoms can be of the same chemical element or different chemical elements. Side by Side Comparison – Molecule vs Atom in Tabular FormĪ molecule is a group of atoms that combine with each other via chemical bonds. It then becomes a molecule, and we can represent it by the chemical formula O 2. However, this atom of oxygen does not exist independently, and it is only when it combines chemically with another atom of oxygen that it becomes stable. For example, the smallest unit of oxygen gas is the atom of oxygen we can represent it by letter O.
A chemical element is a species of atoms. In layman’s terms, we can say that the most basic and also the smallest unit of any chemical element is an atom. The key difference between molecule and atom is that molecule is a combination of two or more atoms via chemical bonding whereas atom is an individual chemical species that can combine with each other to form molecules and ions.Īll matter in the world is made up of atoms and molecules hence we can consider them as the building blocks of everything on this planet, including us.
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