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Amolecule is anelectrically neutral group o twa or mairatoms held thegither bichemical bonds.[1][2][3][4][5] Molecules are distinguished fraeions bi thair lack o electrical chairge. Houever, inquantum physics,organic chemistry, anbiochemistry, the termmolecule is eften uised less strictly, bein applee'd taepolyatomic ions an aa.
In thekinetic theory o gases, the termmolecule is eften uised for ony gaseouspairticle regairdless o its composeetion. Accordin tae this defineetion,noble gas atoms are conseedert molecules as thay are in fact monoatomic molecules.[6]
A molecule mey behomonuclear, that is, it conseests o atoms o anechemical element, as wioxygen (O2); or it mey beheteronuclear, achemical compoond componed o mair nor ane element, as wiwatter (H2O). Atoms an complexes connectit binon-covalent interactions, sic ashydrogen bonds orionic bonds, are generally nae conseedert single molecules.[7]
Molecules as components o matter are common in organic substances (an tharefore biochemistry). Thay mak up maist o the oceans an atmosphere. Houever, the majority o fameeliar solit substances on Yird, includin maist o the minerals that mak up thecrust,mantle, ancore o the Yird, conteen mony chemical bonds, but arenae made o identifiable molecules. Forby, na teepical molecule can be defined forionic creestals (sauts) an covalent creestals (network solits), awtho thir are eften componed o repeatinunit cells that extend aither in aplane (sic as ingraphene) or three-dimensionally (sic as indiamond,quartz, orsodium chloride). The theme o repeated unit-cellular-structur forby holds for maist condensed phases wimetallic bondin, which means that solit metals are nae made o molecules. Inglesses (solits that exeest in a vitreous disordered state), atoms mey forby be held thegither bi chemical bonds wi na presence o ony definable molecule, nor ony o the regularity o repeatin units that chairacterises creestals.
