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A molecule is a group of two or more atoms bonded together, while a compound is a type of molecule that contains different elements.
In this chemistry tutorial, you will learn the difference between a molecule vs compound. They are very similar, but there are important differences! Every compound has molecules, but not every molecule is part of a compound.
Compounds are divided into two categories: salts and molecular compounds. Molecular compounds – Atoms in these compounds bind to one another via covalent bonding. NH 3 and CH 4 are two examples. Salts are made up of atoms that are held together by ionic bonding. NaCl is an example.
Molecular compounds are inorganic compounds that take the form of discrete molecules. Examples include such familiar substances as water and carbon dioxide. These compounds are very different from ionic compounds like sodium chloride.
When an atom bonds with other atoms, either the same type (O 2) or a different type (H 2 O), it’s called a molecule. Molecules are tiny so you can’t see them with the naked eye. However, scientists can break them down to their atomic parts. For example, water is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom (H 2 O).
A molecule is a group of two or more atoms joined by chemical bonds, whereas a compound is a substance formed by the chemical bonding of more than one type of element that exists in a fixed proportion.
Ionic compounds consist of positively and negatively charged ions held together by strong electrostatic forces, whereas covalent compounds generally consist of molecules, which are groups of atoms in which one or more pairs of electrons are shared between bonded atoms.
While all compounds are molecules, not all molecules are compounds. Molecules can exist as individual entities, such as diatomic molecules like oxygen (O2), while compounds are made up of multiple atoms bonded together, such as water (H2O) or carbon dioxide (CO2).
A compound is a substance made up of two or more different elements chemically bonded together. On the other hand, a molecule is the smallest unit of a compound that retains the chemical properties of that compound. In simpler terms, all compounds are molecules, but not all molecules are compounds.
Lewis diagrams for molecules. Molecules, salts, compounds, and chemicals: What's the difference? Understand: covalent bonds. Apply: predicting covalent bonds.