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This is an index of lists of molecules (i.e. by year, number of atoms, etc.). Millions of molecules have existed in the universe since before the formation of Earth. Three of them, carbon dioxide, water and oxygen were necessary for the growth of life.
A compound's empirical formula is a very simple type of chemical formula. [27] It is the simplest integer ratio of the chemical elements that constitute it. [28] For example, water is always composed of a 2:1 ratio of hydrogen to oxygen atoms, and ethanol (ethyl alcohol) is
[16] [17] [18] A molecule may be homonuclear, that is, it consists of atoms of one chemical element, as with two atoms in the oxygen molecule (O 2); or it may be heteronuclear, a chemical compound composed of more than one element, as with water (two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom; H 2 O). A molecule is the smallest unit of a substance that ...
Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula H 2 O.It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, [c] and nearly colorless chemical substance.It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a solvent [20]).
The carbon cycle is a biogeochemical cycle that is important in maintaining life on Earth over a long time span. The cycle includes carbon sequestration and carbon sinks. [4] [5] Plate tectonics are needed for life over a long time span, and carbon-based life is important in the plate tectonics process. [6]
A biomolecule or biological molecule is loosely defined as a molecule produced by a living organism and essential to one or more typically biological processes. [1] Biomolecules include large macromolecules such as proteins , carbohydrates , lipids , and nucleic acids , as well as small molecules such as vitamins and hormones.
Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. [1] It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, properties, behavior and the changes they undergo during reactions with other substances.
A clam's shell, for example, while biotic, does not contain much organic carbon, so it may not be considered organic matter in this sense. Conversely, urea is one of many organic compounds that can be synthesized without any biological activity. Organic matter is heterogeneous and very complex. Generally, organic matter, in terms of weight, is: [6]