Molecule

chemistry · atoms · bonding · tiny

Atoms team up. Molecules form when two or more atoms stick together using forces called chemical bonds. These bonds are like atomic friendships that hold the group together.

Water is a molecule. One of the simplest and most important molecules is water, which is made of two hydrogen atoms bonded to one oxygen atom. That is why scientists call it H2O.

Bonds hold them tight. Chemical bonds are the attractive forces that keep atoms locked together in a molecule. Without these bonds, the atoms would float apart into separate pieces.

Building blocks of life. All living things are made of molecules. Your body, plants, animals, and even the air you breathe are all made of countless different molecules working together.

Molecules make properties. When atoms bond into molecules, they create new materials with different properties than the atoms alone. For example, oxygen atoms by themselves are a gas, but bonded molecules behave completely differently.