Organic Compounds — Quiz

Question 9 • Biology

Which best explains the difference between a ball-and-stick model of a chemical compound and a space-filling model?

Answer

Space-filling models show the bonds between atoms, but not the relative sizes of atoms. Ball-and-stick models show the relative sizes of atoms, but not the bonds between atoms.

Space-filing models can show compounds in three dimensions, but ball-and-stick models cannot.

Ball-and-stick models show the bonds between atoms, but not the relative sizes of atoms. Space-filling models show the relative sizes of atoms, but not the bonds between atoms.

Ball-and-stick models can show compounds in three dimensions, but space-filling models cannot.

Explanation

Ball-and-stick models use sticks to represent bonds, so the connections between atoms are easy to see, but the balls do not accurately show the atoms’ relative sizes. Space-filling models use spheres sized to represent atoms’ relative sizes; because the spheres overlap, the bonds are not shown clearly. Both types can represent compounds in three dimensions, so choice C is correct.

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