Why do even the most basic biomolecules contain carbon atoms?
Carbon has four electrons in its outermost shell, making it difficult to achieve a stable structure by gaining or losing electrons. Therefore, it often combines by sharing electrons. Furthermore, carbon atoms can form long chains or ring structures by...
What force binds atoms together to form molecules?
When the outermost electron shell of an atom is not fully filled, they will combine with each other by transferring or sharing electrons. This process "tethers" atoms together to form molecules, which is the basis for the existence of all things and...
Can one really turn stone into gold?
In the past, people believed that atoms could not be split, and the phenomenon of radium releasing huge amounts of energy over a long period of time raised questions. Later, Rutherford and others discovered that atoms could be split, and atomic energy ...
What's inside an atom?
In the early 20th century, people discovered that atoms are composed of electrons and a nucleus. The nucleus can be further divided into various "elementary particles," of which about 400 have been discovered so far. These elementary particles have...
Who proved that matter is composed of molecules?
The ancient Greek philosopher Democritus was adept at starting his thinking from everyday phenomena (such as soup turning salty, smelling flowers, and fish swimming in water), and eventually concluded that everything in the world is composed of tiny...
What is a molecule? What is an atom?
The world is composed of tens of millions of substances. Then, molecules are compared to the smallest "bricks" that make up matter. The characteristics of molecules are introduced: they can exist alone, have chemical properties, are extremely small and...
