Name: ________________________________________________
Period: _________
Building Molecules Virtual Activity
Introduction:
Scientists use a system to classify matter based on its chemical structure. Elements are substances in which all the
atoms are alike. Compounds are made up of two or more elements that are chemically combined. Many common
materials are compounds. For instance, water is a compound that is made up of hydrogen and oxygen atoms.
Many compounds are made up of molecules. A molecule is two or more atoms chemically bonded to each other. It is
the smallest particle of a substance that has all the properties of that substance.
A molecule of water contains 2 hydrogen atoms
chemically bonded to 1 oxygen atom. The
chemical makeup of water can be expressed in a
chemical formula: H2O. The number 2 placed to
the lower right of the chemical symbol H (for
hydrogen) is called a subscript. It indicates that
there are two atoms of hydrogen in a molecule of
water. When a chemical symbol has no subscript,
it means there is only one atom of that element
in the molecule. There is no number to the right
of the chemical symbol O (for oxygen); therefore,
a molecule of water contains 1 atom of oxygen.
Many of the physical and chemical properties of a molecule are determined by its shape. The 3-dimensional shapes of
molecules can be pictured by using molecular models. To make a model of a molecule, you need to know two things: its
chemical formula and how its atoms fit together.
In chemistry, different types of atoms bond with other atoms in specific ways. For instance, hydrogen will tend to form
one bond with another atom, and oxygen will tend to form two bonds. In some cases, multiple bonds form between
atoms. A double bond counts as the same as two bonds, and a triple bond counts the same as three bonds.
In this virtual lab, you will build molecular models of various elements and compounds, given their chemical formulas.
For some molecules, there is more than one way to build a model.
Objectives:
 Explain what a molecule is.
 Explain what a compound is.
 Construct a model of a molecule based on its chemical formula.
Procedure:
1. Go to the website: http://www.glencoe.com/sites/common_assets/science/virtual_labs/E02/E02.swf or Google
“Glencoe Virtual Molecule Lab” and click on the first link.
2. Click the Information button to learn about the structure of molecules.
3. Choose a molecule from the Molecule pull-down menu.
4. Drag atoms and bonds from the Atoms and Bonds clone pads to build a structural model of the molecule you
chose.
5. Click the Check button to check your model.
6. If your model is correct, click the 3-D Model Button to see a three-dimensional model of the molecule.
7. Record your findings in the table.
Results:
Molecule
Name
Ammonia
Carbon dioxide
Ethyne
Hydrogen
Hydrogen
peroxide
Methane
Nitrogen
Oxygen
Propane
Water
Chemical
Formula
Drawing of
Correct
Molecule
Model
Number of
Hydrogen
Atoms
Number of
Oxygen Atoms
Number of
Nitrogen
Atoms
Number of
Carbon Atoms
Analysis Questions:
1. What is an element?
2. What is a compound?
3. What is a molecule?
4. What is the difference between a molecular formula and a molecular model?
5. Describe the process you used to build a model. What did you do first? Second?
6. Did you create a model that looked different from the model shown when you clicked the 3-D Model? If so, how
was it different?