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Molecule
1. Traditionally, two or more atoms or ordinary matter, joined together by properties of a shared electron cloud and forming a chemical bond. The smallest unit of a substance that can retain all the properties of that substance.

2. Two or more exotic atoms, linked together in a way that is analogous to the bonds formed between ordinary atoms. The forces involved may not involve ordinary electrons and protons in such cases, and the analogy is rather loose. No natural "molecules" of this kind are known to exist; the "atoms" that give rise to them are composed of particles that are extremely rare or naturally short-lived. All such materials are apparently the result of advanced sophont or transapient technology, whether Terragen or otherwise.
 
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Development Notes
Text by Stephen Inniss
Initially published on 31 December 2005.

 
 
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