Answer to Question #152412 in General Chemistry for Jose

Question

How are the two types of representations (ball-and-stick and space-filling) different?

Answer 1

In the ball-and-stick representation molecules are displayed using rods (bonds) and spheres (atoms). In this model single, double and triple bonds can be shown as well as bond angles but not the relative sizes of atoms.

In the spece-filling representation a molecule is displayd using spheres only. Instead of sticks representing bonds, as in the ball and stick model, the spheres that represent atoms are fused together and the size of the sphere represents the size of the actual atom. In this model we can not see whether the bonds are single, double, or triple, or bond angles. But what we can see is the molecule external surface.

(picture is taken from https://archives.library.illinois.edu/)