Oxygen forms molecules made of two atoms, O2

Question

. 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.

Here's the reasoning:

• O2 is a molecule because it is formed by two oxygen atoms bonded together. However, it is not a compound since it consists of only one element (oxygen).
• CO2 is a compound because it consists of two different elements (carbon and oxygen) bonded together. It is also a molecule because it is made up of more than one atom.

So, O2 is a molecule but not a compound, while CO2 is both a molecule and a compound.