Is mutagen a compound or an element?

[Maliel]

After clicking on one statue in hollow earth i read the message that said creator of the first mutagen atom, an atom? not a molecule? is that a typo? maybe its the OCD but its driving me crazy, surely it should be a molecule, what do you guys think?

[destroyor]

This goes against conventional usage of the word "atom", from Wikipedia:

An atom is the smallest constituent unit of ordinary matter that has the properties of a chemical element.

I agree w/ Maliel that it should be change to molecule or compound, or even something generic like molecular/chemical structure will do.

[brobotics]

If it were to be changed, our buddy Dr Frasard in HE would need his statue edited

[Styg]

Since "atom" means indivisible, it is the atomic theory that is using it inappropriately. I suggest you demand they change their lore!

[Trashos]

Atom is a Greek word (and I am also Greek), and it indeed means indivisible. Chemistry used it for ..."atoms" before we knew about electrons, protons etc, in other words the name was first used back when we thought that they were indivisible and the building block for everything else. Then the name stuck, as often happens.

On the other hand, I can see why it causes confusion now, and not even Greeks use the word with its original meaning. I 'd probably change it, but no biggie.