Final answer:
The smallest particle of sugar that is still identifiable as sugar is not an atom but a molecule of sucrose. Atoms represent the smallest units of elements, whereas a molecule of sucrose consists of multiple atoms of different elements chemically bonded together.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that the particle of sugar that is still sugar is an atom is false. Table sugar, or sucrose, is composed of molecules that are made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms bonded together. The smallest part of sugar that can still be considered sugar is a molecule of sucrose (C12H22O11).
An atom is the smallest unit of an element that maintains the identity of that element and cannot enter into a chemical combination as anything smaller without losing its elemental properties. However, sugar is a compound, not an element, so its smallest identifiable particle is a molecule, not an atom.
An atom is the smallest particle of an element that still has the properties of that element. Table sugar is sucrose, which is a molecular compound made up of individual sugar molecules held together by attractive forces.
When dissolved in water, the attractive forces between the sugar molecules are disrupted, but the covalent bonds between the carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms of the sugar molecules are not broken. Therefore, the particle of sugar that is still sugar is an atom.