Question

Oxygen forms molecules made of two atoms, O2
. Carbon and oxygen form molecules made of one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms, CO2
. Which of the statements below is true?
A.
Both O2
and CO2
are compounds.
B.
Both O2
and CO2
are molecules.
C.
O2
is a compound while CO2
is a molecule.
D.
O2
is a molecule while CO2
is a compound.

Answer 1

The correct statement is:

D. O2 is a molecule while CO2 is a compound.

Explanation:
- O2 (oxygen) is a molecule because it is made up of two oxygen atoms, but it is not a compound since it consists only of one element.
- CO2 (carbon dioxide) is a compound because it is made up of two different elements (carbon and oxygen) combined in a fixed ratio.