Making Molecules

How do Atoms Fit Together?

1. Experiment with connecting various atoms together. Try to list as many rules as you can about how specific kinds of atoms will link with other kinds of atoms.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. You will have a complete molecule if you can attach the atoms in such a way that there are no other bonds sticking out, not connected to other atoms. After building each of the molecules below, write down the chemical formula which is listed in the upper right corner of the construction window.
   1. Water: one with one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms. Chemical formula ---> _________
   2. Carbon dioxide: one carbon atom with two oxygen atoms. Chemical formula ---> _________
   3. Ammonia: one nitrogen atom and three hydrogen atoms. Chemical formula ---> _________
   4. Gasoline: eight carbon atoms and eighteen hydrogen atoms. Chemical formula ---> _________
   5. Benzene: six carbon atoms and six hydrogen atoms. Chemical formula ---> _________ (This is a hard one.)
      
      
3. How does the chemical formula relate to the atoms used to create a molecule?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. The chemical formula for sugar is C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁. How many of each element is there?
   
   
   
   
   
   The chemical formula for allicin (garlic odor) is C₆H₁₀OS₂. How many of each element is there?
   
   
   
   
   
   

Visualizing Molecules

1. There are several different ways to imagine how molecules look. The software you are using can show a molecule in three different ways. To see the different ways of imaging a molecules click on the "visualize" button. Then choose one of the molecules you made from the left drop down menu. The initial view will be of the "ball and stick" type. Try picking another way of visualizing molecules from the right hand drop down menu.
   
   "Wireframe" just shows the bonds, and is used mostly for looking at more complex molecules.
   
   "Spacefill" is probably the most realistic view of a molecule that eChem displays. Have you noticed that all the atoms in the other views are shown to be the same size? In fact, atoms come in many different sizes, and there aren't really any "sticks" between the atoms. The spacefill mode shows you what the molecule looks like with no bonds and correct relative sizes of atoms.
   
   
2. You can see multiple views of the same molecule by clicking on the "views" button, and selecting "4 views". Then select the same molecule in each window, but select a different way of viewing the molecule in each window. Pick one of your molecules and do this now.
   
   Throughout these various activities you will see molecules displayed in many different ways. You should understand that these different views aren't different types of molecules, just different ways of looking at the same molecule