Question

Explain this statement in your own words and give an example. The properties of the substances around us depend on the atoms and molecules that compose them.

Answer 1

See explanation

Step-by-step explanation:

Substances are composed of atoms. The combination of atoms in a substance determines the properties that the substance exhibits.

For instance, if atoms of metals and nonmetals combine, they give rise to ionic substance which are mostly solid and have high melting and boiling points.

On the other hand, atoms of nonmetals combine with each other to form covalent substances having low melting and boiling points and high vapour pressure sometimes.

Similarly, the kind of molecules present in a substance also determine the nature of the substance. For instance, the high boiling point of water is attributed to the polarity of the O-H bond. This explains why it has a much higher boiling point than CH4 of comparable molar mass but is a non-polar molecule.