What Is a Molecule?
Summary
TLDRIn 'What is a Molecule?' by Stated Clearly, the video script explores the concept of molecules as groups of atoms bonded together through chemical bonds. It illustrates how atoms like hydrogen can form covalent bonds, and how different atoms can bond in varying numbers, creating molecules ranging from simple diatomic gases to complex proteins with half a million atoms. The script also delves into molecular vibrations, their applications in technology, and recent advances in imaging these vibrations at the atomic scale, showcasing the ongoing marvels and discoveries in the field of chemistry.
Takeaways
- đ§Č A molecule is a group of atoms held together by chemical bonds, often covalent bonds where atoms share electrons.
- đ Hydrogen atoms can form a molecule by sharing electrons, but this bond can be broken by heat or interactions with other molecules.
- đ Different atoms can form varying numbers of bonds, with hydrogen limited to one, oxygen to two, and carbon to four covalent bonds.
- đ„ Atoms like argon typically do not form bonds due to their stable electron configuration.
- đ Large molecules can be formed through proper arrangement of bonds, such as in water molecules which consist of three atoms.
- đŹ Glucose, a sugar, is an example of a molecule made of 24 atoms, arranged in a specific pattern of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
- 𧏠Proteins can be extremely large, with some containing over half a million atoms covalently bound together.
- đŹ Space-filling models are used to represent molecules, showing the electron cloud of atoms and their relative sizes.
- đ Ball and stick models highlight the bonds between atoms, providing a clearer view of the molecular structure.
- đŒïž In 2009, Dr. Leo Gross and his team at IBM took actual skeletal images of molecules, showcasing the accuracy of atomic theory.
- â± Molecules vibrate between their bonds, behaving like springs, with the vibrations influenced by the repulsion of protons and the attraction of shared electrons.
- đ° Molecular vibrations have practical applications, such as in quartz watches that use the consistent speed of atomic vibrations to keep time.
Q & A
What is the basic definition of a molecule?
-A molecule can be defined as a group of atoms stuck together, typically through chemical bonds.
How does a hydrogen atom form a bond with another hydrogen atom?
-Two hydrogen atoms can form a bond when they come close enough for their electrons to be attracted to each other's protons, leading to a collision and the formation of a covalent chemical bond, creating a hydrogen molecule.
What is a covalent bond and how is it formed?
-A covalent bond is a chemical bond formed when two atoms share a pair of electrons, as seen in the formation of a hydrogen molecule where the two atoms share each other's electrons.
Why can't a hydrogen atom form more than one covalent bond at a time?
-A hydrogen atom can only form one covalent bond at a time because it has only one electron available for bonding.
How does the number of bonds an atom can form relate to its atomic properties?
-The number of bonds an atom can form is related to its atomic properties, such as the number of valence electrons it has, which determine its bonding capacity.
What is the composition of a standard water molecule?
-A standard water molecule is composed of three atoms: two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, with the oxygen forming one bond with each hydrogen atom.
How many atoms are in a single molecule of glucose?
-A single molecule of glucose is made of 24 atoms, arranged in a specific pattern of carbons, hydrogens, and oxygens.
What is a space-filling model in the context of molecular structures?
-A space-filling model is a type of molecular model that shows the approximate shape of the electron cloud around each atom, with different types of atoms represented by different colors.
How do ball and stick models differ from space-filling models?
-Ball and stick models highlight the bonds between atoms, showing the skeleton of a molecule rather than the outer surface of each atom's electron cloud, making it easier to understand which atoms are bound together.
What was the significance of Dr. Leo Gross and his team's discovery in 2009?
-Dr. Leo Gross and his team at IBM discovered a way to take actual skeletal pictures of molecules, providing a significant advancement in molecular imaging and offering a visual confirmation of atomic theory.
What is the importance of understanding molecular vibrations?
-Understanding molecular vibrations is crucial as it has potential applications in various fields such as chemistry, medicine, electronics, and computer engineering, including the development of more accurate timekeeping devices.
How do molecular vibrations relate to the functioning of a quartz watch?
-In a quartz watch, the vibrations of the quartz crystal's atoms are used to keep time. The crystal oscillates at a precise frequency, which is counted by the watch's electronics to move the second hand accurately.
What was the significance of the images published by Joonhee Lee and his colleagues in the journal Nature in 2019?
-The images published by Joonhee Lee and his colleagues were the first-ever images of molecular vibrations at the atomic scale, providing researchers with detailed insights into how molecules move and behave.
How can advances in molecular imaging impact the development of technology and scientific understanding?
-Advances in molecular imaging allow for the observation of molecular behavior at an atomic level, which can lead to the development of more efficient solar panels, computer chips that do not overheat, and a deeper understanding of DNA.
Outlines
đ The Formation and Structure of Molecules
This paragraph introduces the concept of molecules as groups of atoms joined by chemical bonds, typically covalent. It explains how atoms like hydrogen can share electrons to form molecules, and how the number of bonds an atom can form varies by element, using hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, and argon as examples. The paragraph also touches on the complexity of molecules, ranging from simple diatomic hydrogen molecules to large proteins with hundreds of thousands of atoms. It describes different molecular models, including space-filling and ball-and-stick models, and highlights a significant advancement in molecular imaging by Dr. Leo Gross's team at IBM, which allowed for the first actual skeletal images of molecules. The summary concludes with an explanation of molecular vibrations, which are likened to springs representing the balance of repulsive and attractive forces within the molecule, and their importance in various scientific fields.
đĄ Molecular Vibrations and Scientific Advancements
The second paragraph delves into the practical applications of understanding molecular vibrations, such as in the precision of quartz watches that use the consistent resonance of a crystal's atoms to keep time. It mentions a groundbreaking study published in Nature by Joonhee Lee and colleagues, which captured the first images of molecular vibrations at the atomic scale. These images are vital for creating accurate models to predict molecular behavior under different conditions. The potential applications of this technology are vast, including the development of more efficient solar panels and computer chips, as well as a deeper understanding of DNA. The paragraph concludes with a nod to the ongoing support from the National Science Foundation, the CaSTL Research Center, and Patreon supporters, and promotes an educational online game called Bond Breaker, designed to teach chemistry and nuclear physics in an engaging way.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄMolecule
đĄChemical Bond
đĄCovalent Bond
đĄAtom
đĄElectron
đĄProton
đĄVibration
đĄSpace-Filling Model
đĄBall and Stick Model
đĄScanning Tunneling Microscope
đĄAtomic Theory
đĄMolecular Vibration
Highlights
A molecule is a group of atoms stuck together, usually through chemical bonds.
Hydrogen atoms can form a single hydrogen molecule by sharing electrons in a covalent bond.
Different types of atoms can form different numbers of chemical bonds.
An oxygen atom typically forms two bonds, while a carbon atom can make four.
Argon atoms usually do not bond with anything due to their full outer electron shell.
Huge molecules can form through proper arrangement of bonds, such as in water molecules made of three atoms.
Glucose, a sugar, is a molecule made of 24 atoms in a special arrangement of carbons, hydrogens, and oxygens.
A typical fatty acid in the human body can be made of 38 atoms.
Proteins can contain over half a million atoms covalently bound together.
Space-filling models show the outside of each atom's electron cloud and are used to visualize molecules.
Ball and stick models are used by chemists to highlight the bonds between atoms in a molecule.
Dr. Leo Gross and his team at IBM discovered a way to take actual skeletal pictures of molecules.
Molecular vibrations are the result of a perpetual tug-of-war between protons and shared electrons.
Adding energy to a molecule increases the amplitude of its vibrations without changing the frequency.
Molecular vibrations have applications in chemistry, medicine, electronics, and computer engineering.
Quartz watches use the unchanging speed of molecular vibrations to keep nearly perfect time.
Joonhee Lee and colleagues published the first images of molecular vibrations at the atomic scale.
Recent advances in molecular imaging allow for snapshots of molecular vibrations, aiding in understanding molecular behavior.
Molecular imaging technology is being used to improve solar panels, computer chips, and understand DNA.
The animation is part of an intro to chemistry series sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the CaSTL Research Center.
An online video game called Bond Breaker was created to teach chemistry and nuclear physics concepts.
Transcripts
Stated Clearly presents
What is a molecule
Though textbook definitions of the word molecule can sometimes be a bit complicated
A molecule can be loosely thought of as a group of atoms stuck together
Usually through chemical bonds
Here we see a single hydrogen atom traveling through the cosmos
It's made of one positively charged proton in its nucleus
and one negatively charged electron
If our lone hydrogen atom happens to pass close enough to another lone hydrogen atom
their electrons, which are attracted like magnets to protons
can pull the atoms toward each other until they collide and stick together
The two atoms now share each other's electrons in what is called a covalent chemical bond
What were once two individual hydrogen atoms have now formed a single hydrogen molecule
This bond is not permanent
with enough heat or due to interactions with other molecules
the hydrogen atoms will readily separate once more
Different types of atoms can form different numbers of chemical bonds
A hydrogen atom can only form one covalent bond at a time
If a third hydrogen atom were to collide with a hydrogen molecule
It would simply bounce off or if it hits hard enough, or in just the right place
it can trade spots with one of the existing atoms
An oxygen atom can typically form two bonds
A carbon atom can make four
An argon atom won't usually bond with anything
Even though possible bond numbers per atom are pretty small
huge molecules can form if bonds happen to be properly arranged
For example, even though hydrogen can only form one bond
a standard water molecule is always made of three atoms
This is possible because oxygen which can form two bonds
forms just one bond with each hydrogen atom
A single molecule of the sugar known as glucose
is made of 24 atoms, a special arrangement of carbons, hydrogens and oxygens
A typical fatty acid in the human body may vary in length
this one here is made of 38 atoms
And finally a single protein, depending on the type
can contain over half-a-million atoms all covalently bound together
The molecular models that I've been showing you here so far are what we call space-filling models
They show us roughly what the outside of each atoms electron cloud looks like
and different types of atoms have been assigned different colors
when we look at real molecules with a scanning tunneling microscope
they look pretty similar to these space-filling models,
but the atoms are not color coded and their edges are fuzzy
That blur is partly due to the microscopes limitations
and partly because atoms actually do have soft boundaries
When looking at complex molecules
space-filling models and especially actual images of real molecules
can be a bit confusing to look at, which atoms are bound together
which atoms are just close to one another
for this reason, chemists sometimes use what are called ball and stick models
these highlight the bonds between atoms
the skeleton of a molecule instead of showing each atoms outside surface
In 2009, Dr. Leo Gross and his team at IBM,
discovered a way to take actual skeletal pictures of molecules.
This is not a drawing
This is not a computer-generated model.
This is an actual scan of a real molecule
Amazingly atomic theory was allowing scientists to draw molecules with surprising accuracy
over 100 years before this image was finally taken
That's quite a testament to what good scientific theory can do
When atoms come together to form a molecule
the molecule vibrates between its bonds in a regular pattern
You can think of the bond as a bouncing spring
This is because the protons and the nucleus of each atom repel one another
while the shared electrons in each bond pull the atoms back together
The vibrations we find in molecules are the result of a perpetual tug-of-war between these two forces
if you add more energy to a molecule with heat or light
The amplitude, the length of each vibration will increase
without changing how frequently each vibration completes its cycle
This means the bouncing spring stretches further and the atoms move faster
If you add enough energy the bond will eventually break
Scientists are fascinated by molecular movements and want to understand them better
These vibrations have a huge number of potential applications in chemistry, medicine,
electronics and computer engineering
Watchmakers for example use the unchanging speed of molecular vibrations
to build watches that keep nearly perfect time
In a quartz crystal, bond vibrations between its atoms resonate causing the entire crystal
when cut to the right size and shape to oscillate microscopically at 32,768 times/second
Inside each quartz watch is a tiny crystal along with electronics that can count the crystals vibrations
This then tells the second hand precisely when to move
In April 2019 in the journal Nature,
Joonhee Lee and his colleagues from The Center For Chemistry at the Space-Time Limit
have published the first images ever taken
of molecular vibrations at the atomic scale
Though these images may seem a bit strange to you and I,
they show researchers exactly how this molecule bends and pulses between its bonds
Scientists can use images like this to build accurate models
predicting exactly how different molecules will behave under various conditions
With this new precision knowledge, engineers are working on solar panels that generate far more energy,
computer chips that do not overheat
and researchers are planning to use this imaging technology to better understand our own DNA
Even in the field is thoroughly studied this chemistry. The old saying is still true
Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known
So in summary, what is a molecule?
A molecule can be described as a group of atoms stuck together through chemical bonds
different types of atoms can form different numbers of bonds
Molecules can be as small as two atoms stuck together
or as is the case for some proteins
They may contain over half a million atoms, all covalently bound together
Recent advances in molecular imaging are now letting us take snapshots
of molecular vibrations at the atomic scale
I'm John Perry and that as a molecule Stated Clearly
This animation is part of an intro to chemistry series
sponsored in part by the National Science Foundation and the CaSTL Research Center
That's Chemistry at the Space-Time Limit.
It was also funded in part by my wonderful supporters on patreon.com/statedclearly
Thank you. I could not do this without you
Along with this video series, CaSTL and The National Science Foundation
have funded the creation of an amazing online video game called Bond Breaker
In the game, you are a proton
and you go on a bunch of little adventures learning powerful concepts
in chemistry and nuclear physics as you go
I've shown you clips of the game before but a new version was just released and it is wonderful
Go check it out at TestTubeGames.com
There is a link down in the video description
Not only will it teach you new things about chemistry and atomic physics
It's also almost too fun to play
Today I went to play it for just a few minutes so I could record my screen
and show you what the game looks like
But I ended up playing for over an hour.
So kudos to Andy at Test Tube Games, you have done an amazing job
Teachers use this in your classrooms, it's free
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)