Make Molecules!

Making Model Molecules

Hands-on molecule modelling uses multiple senses (visualization, tactile, auditory) to explore and reinforce the concepts. Here are some tips and shortcuts to make the process easier and less messy.

The atoms can be gumdrops, marshmallows (some dyed with food coloring), puffed cheeseballs, etc., but styrofoam balls are the best:

uniform size and sphericality
different colors available
relatively durable
class not tempted to eat them
storage doesn't attract pests
easy to color with Magic Markers - tip: hold with a plastic bag as glove to keep fingers clean

Bonds can be toothpicks (easier to stick in) or pipecleaners (more bendable), or both chosen appropriately for the type of bond represented. It's possible to ignore double bonds for less advanced explorations (just use one toothpick even for double bonds); a good representation of multiple bonds is as shown below for O₂ and CO₂.

Zooming in on H, C, N, O in the Periodic Table (in white to the right), shows another handy pattern - the column indicates how many atomic bonds can usually be formed. C forms 4, N (usually) forms 3, O forms 2, H forms 1 (and He, Ne, and the others in the last column form 0).

This rule is shown by combinations of H with C, N, O:

CH₄: 4 H's can attach to C, forming methane
NH₃: 3 H's can attach to N, forming ammonia
OH₂: 2 H's can attach to O, forming water, usually written H₂O

C, N, and O can also join with each other. The actual molecule shapes depend on accurate modelling of bonds.