Glossary - molecular structure

molecular structure - the arrangement of the atoms in a molecule. The molecular structure is different from the molecular formula in that the molecular formula only tells what kinds of atoms are in a molecule and how many of each kind of atom. The molecular structure tells us how those atoms are arranged in space. You can see the difference between the molecular formula and the molecular structure in the picture below.

molecular formula
of water

molecular structure
of water

The molecular structure of a molecule determines the properties of the material. To change a material's properties, you must change the molecular structure of its molecules.

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