Final answer:
The basic unit of matter is not the molecule but the atom. Atoms are the smallest units that retain the properties of an element, and when they bond together, they form molecules.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that the basic unit of matter is the molecule is false. The basic building block of all matter is, in fact, the atom. Atoms are composed of subatomic particles such as protons, neutrons, and electrons. The unique combination of these subatomic particles defines the type of element of the atom and its properties.
When two or more atoms bond together, they form a molecule. Molecules are entities that retain the chemical properties of a substance and can exist freely while maintaining their composition and characteristics. A commonly known molecule is the water molecule, H2O, which consists of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom.
To illustrate this further with an example: while oxygen as a gas (O2) exists naturally as a molecule because it contains two oxygen atoms bonded together, the term 'molecule' is not interchangeable with 'atom' as atoms are the smallest unit of an element that retain the element's properties. Meanwhile, a molecule can consist of multiple atoms of the same or different elements chemically bonded together.
Therefore answer is Option 2: False.