Building blocks
Atoms are the \”building blocks” of matter. They fit together to make
all the things there are. Most kinds of matter are made of atoms that
are joined together. These groups of joined atoms are called molecules
[(mahl]{.smallcaps} uh kyoolz).
Molecules can be very simple. When you breathe air, your body takes in
molecules of a gas called oxygen. Each oxygen molecule is simply two
oxygen atoms joined together.
But molecules can be complicated, too. The \”vinegary” taste in vinegar
comes from a molecule containing two carbon atoms, four hydrogen atoms,
and two oxygen atoms. And some molecules are made of thousands of atoms!
Bread and potatoes contain giant molecules that look like
chains—chains up to forty thousand atoms long.
When two atoms of hydrogen (H) and one atom of oxygen (O) are joined,
they form a single molecule of water.
The sour taste of vinegar comes from molecules made of carbon, hydrogen,
and oxygen. Each molecule contains two carbon atoms (C), four hydrogen
atoms (H), and two oxygen atoms (O). The atoms in each molecule are
joined together in exactly the same way.
