Building the Big Ones

Today in class we did our first lab of the new unit. This lab was show students what a molecule with more then one central atom would look like. The molecules we had to build in the lab were, ethanol, acetic acid, serine, and styrene. Each molecule has a very unique shape to it and has many central atoms. In the pictures below black represents a carbon atom, yellow is hydrogen, red is oxygen, and blue is nitrogen.

This atom is ethanol and is comprised of two carbons, six hydrogens, and one oxygen, with the carbons and oxygen being the central atoms.

In this photo is the acetic acid molecule. It is made up of two carbons, four hydrogens, and two oxygens. In this molecule the carbons and one of the oxygens are the central atoms. Also in this molecule the metal springs connecting the carbon and oxygen atoms represent a double bond.

This molecule is serine. It has three carbons, seven hydrogens, three oxygens, and one nitrogen. The three carbons, two of the oxygens, and the hydrogen are the central atoms.

The final molecule is styrene. This molecule has eight carbons, and ten hydrogens. All eight of the carbons are central atoms.