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QuietDragon2728

How do you know if a particle is an atom or a molecule?I'm not sure I understand...

Éveline O

Thank you for your question!

Atoms are distinguished from molecules by the following criteria:

• The atom is the smallest division of matter, whereas molecules are made up of several atoms.

• The chemical formulas of atoms can be found in the periodic table. The chemical formulas of molecules cannot be found in the periodic table.

• Since an atom is made up of a single element, there is only one capital letter in its chemical formula. Since a molecule is made up of a single element, there may be more than one capital letter in its chemical formula. Many molecules have more than one capital letter in their chemical formula.

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