diff --git a/src/MOLECULE/atom_vec_angle.h b/src/MOLECULE/atom_vec_angle.h
index daf18f2198..a9f35573ee 100644
--- a/src/MOLECULE/atom_vec_angle.h
+++ b/src/MOLECULE/atom_vec_angle.h
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ namespace LAMMPS_NS {
 class AtomVecAngle : public AtomVec {
  public:
   AtomVecAngle(class LAMMPS *, int, char **);
+  virtual ~AtomVecAngle() {}
   void grow(int);
   void grow_reset();
   void copy(int, int, int);
@@ -52,7 +53,7 @@ class AtomVecAngle : public AtomVec {
   int data_atom_hybrid(int, char **);
   bigint memory_usage();
 
- private:
+ protected:
   int *tag,*type,*mask,*image;
   double **x,**v,**f;
   int *molecule;
diff --git a/src/MOLECULE/atom_vec_full.h b/src/MOLECULE/atom_vec_full.h
index 408cb518ff..de68deb86c 100644
--- a/src/MOLECULE/atom_vec_full.h
+++ b/src/MOLECULE/atom_vec_full.h
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ namespace LAMMPS_NS {
 class AtomVecFull : public AtomVec {
  public:
   AtomVecFull(class LAMMPS *, int, char **);
+  virtual ~AtomVecFull() {}
   void grow(int);
   void grow_reset();
   void copy(int, int, int);
@@ -52,7 +53,7 @@ class AtomVecFull : public AtomVec {
   int data_atom_hybrid(int, char **);
   bigint memory_usage();
 
- private:
+ protected:
   int *tag,*type,*mask,*image;
   double **x,**v,**f;
   double *q;