Editing Chemical structure (section)

{{Short description|Organized way in which molecules are ordered and sorted}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2021}}
[[File:Phosphorus-pentoxide-2D-dimensions.svg|class=skin-invert-image|thumb|300px|[[Phosphorus pentoxide]] chemical structure in 2D]]
A '''chemical structure''' of a [[molecule]] is a spatial arrangement of its [[atom]]s and their chemical bonds. Its determination includes a [[chemist]]'s specifying the [[molecular geometry]] and, when feasible and necessary, the [[electronic structure]] of the target molecule or other solid. Molecular geometry refers to the spatial arrangement of [[atom]]s in a [[molecule]] and the [[chemical bond]]s that hold the atoms together and can be represented using [[structural formula]]e and by [[molecular model]]s;<ref>{{cite book |last=Haaland |first=Arne |title=Molecules and Models: The Molecular Structures of Main Group Element Compounds |date=2008 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-923535-3 |location=Oxford |oclc=173809048 |url=https://search.worldcat.org/title/173809048}}</ref> complete electronic structure descriptions include specifying the occupation of a molecule's [[molecular orbital]]s.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Weinhold |first1=Frank |title=Valency and Bonding: A Natural Bond Orbital Donor-Acceptor Perspective |date=2005 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |last2=Landis |first2=Clark R. |isbn=0-521-83128-8 |location=Cambridge, UK |oclc=59712377 |url=https://search.worldcat.org/title/59712377}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Gillespie |first1=Ronald J. |title=Chemical Bonding and Molecular Geometry: From Lewis to Electron Densities |date=2001 |publisher=Oxford University Press |last2=Popelier |first2=Paul L. A. |isbn=0-19-510495-1 |location=New York |oclc=43552798 |url=https://search.worldcat.org/title/43552798}}</ref> Structure determination can be applied to a range of targets from very simple molecules (e.g., [[diatomic]] [[oxygen]] or [[nitrogen]]) to very complex ones (e.g., such as [[protein]] or [[DNA]]).