Question

a student is told to study the chemicals nitrogen monoxide (no) and nitrogen dioxide (no₂) and determine their differences. the student reports that there are no differences between the molecules because they are made up of the same elements. is the student right or wrong? why?

Explanation:

The number of oxygen atoms differs. Nitrogen monoxide has 1 oxygen atom while nitrogen dioxide has 2. This leads to different chemical and physical properties.

Answer:

The student is wrong. The two molecules have different numbers of oxygen atoms which result in different properties.