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A space-filling model of the diatomic molecule dinitrogen, N 2. Diatomic molecules (from Greek di- 'two') are molecules composed of only two atoms, of the same or different chemical elements. If a diatomic molecule consists of two atoms of the same element, such as hydrogen (H 2) or oxygen (O 2), then it is said to be homonuclear.
In addition to electronic quantum states, molecules have internal degrees of freedom corresponding to rotational and vibrational motion. At appreciable temperatures, many of these new motional modes are excited, resulting in constant motion as seen above. Molecular physics is the study of the physical properties of molecules and molecular dynamics.
The study of molecules by molecular physics and theoretical chemistry is largely based on quantum mechanics and is essential for the understanding of the chemical bond. The simplest of molecules is the hydrogen molecule-ion, H 2 +, and the simplest of all the chemical bonds is the one-electron bond.
A large fraction of the chemical elements that occur naturally on the Earth's surface are essential to the structure and metabolism of living things. Four of these elements (hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen) are essential to every living thing and collectively make up 99% of the mass of protoplasm. [1]
The exact atomicity of metals, as well as some other elements such as carbon, cannot be determined because they consist of a large and indefinite number of atoms bonded together. They are typically designated as having an atomicity of 2. The atomicity of homonuclear molecule can be derived by dividing the molecular weight by the atomic weight.
Two or more atoms can combine to form molecules. Some elements are formed from molecules of identical atoms, e. g. atoms of hydrogen (H) form diatomic molecules (H 2). Chemical compounds are substances made of atoms of different elements; they can have molecular or non-molecular structure.
Diatomic molecules consist of a bond between only two atoms. They can be broken into two categories: homonuclear and heteronuclear. A homonuclear diatomic molecule is one composed of two atoms of the same element. Examples are H 2, O 2, and N 2. A heteronuclear diatomic molecule is composed of two atoms of two different elements.
The size of the molecule an element can form depends on the element's properties, and some elements form molecules of more than one size. The most familiar homonuclear molecules are diatomic molecules, which consist of two atoms, although not all diatomic molecules are homonuclear. Homonuclear diatomic molecules include hydrogen (H 2), oxygen ...