ABSTRACT

The distance between the oxygen atoms in the O2 molecule is about RO−O ≈ 1.2 × 10−10 meters. One Angstro¨m (denoted 1 ˚A) is equal to 10−10 meters and one nanometer (1 nm) is 10−9 meters. The distance RO−O is thus equal to 1.2 ˚A = 0.12 nm. To appreciate how small this length is, imagine drawing this molecule on your notepad as two circles (representing the oxygen atoms) connected by a line. If the distance between the circles is, say, 10 centimeters, then it represents the oxygen molecule magnified by about billion (109) times. For comparison, the size of your drawing magnified by another billion times would be comparable to the distance from the Earth to the Moon.