Substances formed by joining smaller molecules together are called

carbohydrates: (starches and sugars) composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.

lipids: (fats, oils, and waxes) are made of carbon and hydrogen atoms.

nucleic acids: contain hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus. they are polymers of nucleotides. a nucleotide has three parts, a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate     (-po⬇️4) group, and a nitrogenous base.

proteins: made up of nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. they are polymers of amino acids.

when atoms of different types of elements join together, they make molecules called compounds. water consists of compound molecules made up of 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom. this is why it's called h2o. water will always have 2 times the number of hydrogen atoms as oxygen atoms.