Molecular Structures

Front

Covalent Molecule Noun

---

[koh-vey-luhnt mol-i-kyool]

Back

Covalent Molecule

---

A molecule formed from the sharing of electrons between atoms, creating strong chemical bonds within the structure.

---

Example: This image shows a water molecule (H₂O), where one oxygen atom is connected to two hydrogen atoms by sharing electrons, forming strong covalent bonds.

Front

Molecular Model Noun

---

[muh-lek-yuh-ler mod-l]

Back

Molecular Model

---

A representation used to show the structure and relative locations of atoms and electrons in a molecule.

---

Example: This image shows a molecular model of water (H₂O), illustrating how one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms combine to form a single molecule.

Front

Molecular Formula Noun

---

[muh-lek-yuh-ler fawr-myuh-luh]

Back

Molecular Formula

---

A formula showing element symbols and numerical subscripts, indicating the type and number of each atom in a molecule.

---

Example: The image shows a methane molecule with one carbon (C) and four hydrogen (H) atoms, matching its molecular formula, CH₄.

Front

Structural Formula Noun

---

[struhk-cher-uhl fawr-myuh-luh]

Back

Structural Formula

---

A molecular model that uses letter symbols and bonds to show the relative positions of atoms in a molecule.

---

Example: This diagram shows the structural formula for a glucose molecule, illustrating how individual carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms are connected to form the molecule.

Front

Lewis Structure Noun

---

[loo-is struhk-cher]

Back

Lewis Structure

---

A structural formula using dots or lines to represent valence electrons and bonds in a molecule or ion.

---

Example: This diagram shows two oxygen atoms sharing their outer electrons (valence electrons) to form a stable molecule, which is how a Lewis structure is built.

Front

Ball-and-stick molecular model Noun

---

[bawl-and-stik muh-lek-yuh-ler mod-l]

Back

Ball-and-stick molecular model

---

A model where atoms are spheres and bonds are sticks, showing both atomic positions and the bonds between them.

---

Example: This image shows ball-and-stick models for water and chloroform, where spheres represent atoms and lines represent the chemical bonds connecting them.

Front

Space-filling molecular model Noun

---

[speys-fil-ing muh-lek-yuh-ler mod-l]

Back

Space-filling molecular model

---

A model representing atoms as overlapping colored spheres, showing the relative size and surface of the molecule.

---

Example: This image shows a space-filling model of sodium chloride (salt), where atoms are shown as spheres that fill the space they occupy.

Front

Central Atom Noun

---

[sen-truhl at-uhm]

Back

Central Atom

---

The atom in a molecule located in the center, to which all other atoms are connected.

---

Example: In a water molecule (H₂O), the single oxygen atom is the central atom because it is bonded to the other two hydrogen atoms.

Front

Terminal Atom Noun

---

[tur-muh-nl at-uhm]

Back

Terminal Atom

---

An atom located at the end of a molecule, connected to only one other atom in the structure.

---

Example: This image shows the basic structure of a single Lithium atom, including its nucleus (protons and neutrons) and orbiting electrons.

Front

Valence Electrons Noun

---

[vey-luhns ih-lek-trons]

Back

Valence Electrons

---

The electrons in the outermost energy level of an atom, which are available for forming chemical bonds.

---

Example: This Bohr model of a Sodium atom shows electrons in shells. The single electron in the outermost shell is its valence electron.