Atoms, Molecules and Ions

Molecules and ions

Molecules and Ions

Although atoms are the smallest unique unit of a particular element, in nature only the noble gases can be found as isolated atoms. Most matter is in
the form of ions, or compounds.

Molecules and chemical formulas

A molecule is comprised of two or more chemically bonded atoms. The atoms may be of the same type of element, or they may be different.

Many elements are found in nature in molecular form - two or more atoms (of the same type of element) are bonded together. Oxygen, for example,
is most commonly found in its molecular form "O2" (two oxygen atoms chemically bonded together).

Oxygen can also exist in another molecular form where three atoms are chemically bonded. O3 is also known as ozone. Although O2 and O3 are
both compounds of oxygen, they are quite different in their chemical and physical properties. There are seven elements which commonly occur as
diatomic molecules. These include H, N, O, F, Cl, Br, I.

An example of a commonly occurring compound that is composed of two different types of atoms is pure water, or "H 2O". The chemical formula for
water illustrates the method of describing such compounds in atomic terms: there are two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen (the "1"
subscript is omitted) in the compound known as "water". There is another compound of Hydrogen and Oxygen with the chemical formula H 2O2 ,
also known as hydrogen peroxide. Again, although both compounds are composed of the same types of atoms, they are chemically quite different:
hydrogen peroxide is quite reactive and has been used as a rocket fuel (it powered Evil Kenievel part way over the Snake River canyon).

Most molecular compounds (i.e. involving chemical bonds) contain only non-metallic elements.

Molecular, Empirical, and Structural Formulas

Empirical vs. Molecular formulas

Molecular formulas refer to the actual number of the different atoms which comprise a single molecule of a compound.
Empirical formulas refer to the smallest whole number ratios of atoms in a particular compound.

Compound Molecular Formula Empirical Formula

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 Hydrogen Peroxide H 2O2 HO
Ethylene C 2H 4 CH 2
Ethane C 2H 6 CH 3

Molecular formulas provide more information, however, sometimes a substance is actually a collection of molecules with different sizes but the
same empirical formula. For example, carbon is commonly found as a collection of three dimensional structures (carbon chemically bonded to
carbon). In this form, it is most easily represented simply by the empirical formula "C" (the elemental name).

Structural formulas

Sometimes the molecular formulas are drawn out as structural formulas to give some idea of the actual chemical bonds which unite the atoms.

Structural formulas give an idea about the connections between atoms, but they don't necessarily give information about the actual geometry of
such bonds.

Ions

The nucleus of an atom (containing protons and neutrons) remains unchanged after ordinary chemical reactions, but atoms can readily gain or lose
electrons.

If electrons are lost or gained by a neutral atom, then the result is that a charged particle is formed - called an ion.

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 For example, Sodium (Na) has 11 protons and 11 electrons. However, it can easily lose 1 electron. The resulting cation has 11 protons and 10
electrons, for an overall net charge of 1+ (the units are electron charge). The ionic state of an atom or compound is represented by a superscript to
the right of the chemical formula: Na+, Mg2+ (note the in the case of 1+, or 1-, the '1'is omitted). In contrast to the Na atom, the Chlorine atom (Cl)
easily gains 1 electron to yield the chloride ion Cl - (i.e. 17 protons and 18 electrons).

In general, metal atoms tend to lose electrons, and nonmetal atoms tend to gain electrons.

Na+ and Cl - are simple ions, in contrast to polyatomic ions such as NO3- (nitrate ion) and SO42- (sulfate ion). These are compounds made up of
chemically bonded atoms, but have a net positive or negative charge.

The chemical properties of an ion are greatly different from those of the atom from which it was derived.

Predicting ionic charges

Many atoms gain or lose electrons such that they end up with the same number of electrons as the noble gas closest to them in the periodic table.

The noble gasses are generally chemically non-reactive, they would appear to have a stable arrangement of electrons.

Other elements must gain or lose electrons, to end up with the same arrangement of electrons as the noble gases, in order to achieve the same kind
of electron stability.

Example: Nitrogen

Nitrogen has an atomic number of 7; the neutral Nitrogen atom has 7 protons and 7 electrons. If Nitrogen gained three electrons it would have 10
electrons, like the Noble gas Neon (10 protons, 10 electrons). However, unlike Neon, the resulting Nitrogen ion would have a net charge of N 3- (7
protons, 10 electrons).

The location of the elements on the Periodic table can help in predicting the expected charge of ionic forms of the elements.
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 This is mainly true for the elements on either side of the chart.

Ionic compounds

Ions form when one or more electrons transfer from one neutral atom to another. For example, when elemental sodium is allowed to react with
elemental chlorine an electron transfers from a neutral sodium to a neutral chlorine. The result is a sodium ion (Na+) and a chlorine ion, chloride
(Cl -):

The oppositely charged ions attract one another and bind together to form NaCl (sodium chloride) an ionic compound.

An ionic compound contains positively and negatively charged ions

It should be pointed out that the Na+ and Cl - ions are not chemically bonded together. Whereas atoms in molecular compounds, such as H 2O, are
chemically bonded.
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 Ionic compounds are generally combinations of metals and non-metals.

Molecular compounds are general combinations of non-metals only.

Pure ionic compounds typically have their atoms in an organized three dimensional arrangement (a crystal). Therefore, we cannot describe them
using molecular formulas. We can describe them using empirical formulas.

If we know the charges of the ions comprising an ionic compound, then we can determine the empirical formula. The key is knowing that ionic
compounds are always electrically neutral overall.

Therefore, the concentration of ions in an ionic compound are such that the overall charge is neutral.

In the NaCl example, there will be one positively charged Na+ ion for each negatively charged Cl - ion.

What about the ionic compound involving Barium ion (Ba2+) and the Chlorine ion (Cl -)?

1 (Ba2+) + 2 (Cl-) = neutral charge

Resulting empirical formula: BaCl2

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