Elements and Compounds - Overview, Structure, Properties & Uses

Elements and Compounds - Definition, Example, Types, Classification, FAQs

Edited By Team Careers360 | Updated on Jun 28, 2022 04:04 PM IST

Classification of Matter:

Chemistry is the study of different types and properties of matter. We see different types of components and materials all around us. It is therefore essential to classify and categorize them so that they can study, analyze and understand their characteristics easily of elements compounds, and mixtures. The matter around us can be classified as pure matter and impure matter. Those with fixed chemical composition are pure substances. A pure substance is divided into elements and compounds. Since impure substances are substances that may have different compositions and therefore do not have any fixed characteristics thus, they can't be divided into elements and compounds.

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This Story also Contains

Classification of Matter:
What is an Element?
Examples of Elements:
Types of Elements:
What is a Compound?
Examples of Compounds:
Types of compounds:

Element Compounds

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What is an Element?

A substance that cannot be broken down into simpler components using chemical methods or A substance composed of atoms with one atomic number is called an Element. An element meaning is a complete chemical substance that constitutes an entry in the modern periodic table. Elements and compounds are made up of only one type of atom and two or more elements and compounds respectively. They cannot be broken down into simpler fragments and can exist in the form of atoms or molecules. The elements are represented by symbols, issued by IUPAC. For example, Hydrogen is represented by H, Nitrogen is represented by N, and so on.

Examples of Elements:

Below we have listed 10 examples of elements,

Element	Symbol
Hydrogen	H
Helium	He
Lithium	Li
Beryllium	Be
Boron	B
Carbon	C
Nitrogen	N
Oxygen	O
Fluorine	F
Neon	Ne

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Types of Elements:

Elements are classified into metals, non-metals, and semi-metals according to their properties.

Metals Non-metals Metalloids

Metals: Metals are the electro positivity elements that tend to lose electrons in order to achieve stability. Metals have physical characteristics such as hardness, high stresses, lusters, conductivity, high melting and boiling points, etc.

Examples: Iron (Fe), Sodium (Na), Calcium (Ca), Lead (Pb), etc.

Non-metals: Non-metals are the elements that tend to get electrons, i.e. they are electron-negative. They are not metals. Non-metallic physical properties include fragility, comparatively less strength of the tensile materials, brightness, non-conductivity or isolation, lower melting and boiling points, etc.

Example: Hydrogen (H), Chlorine (Cl), Iodine (I), Phosphorus (P), etc.

Metalloids: Metalloids are elements with properties between metals and nonmetals.

Example: Boron (B), Germanium (Ge), Silicon (Si), etc.

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What is a Compound?

We know that compound definition is a pure substance. Also, the compound definition in chemistry is when two or more elements are chemically combined in a fixed weight ratio, the resulting product is a compound. A compound can be defined as a substance composed of two or more different types of elements in a fixed atomic ratio or A compound is made up of two or more atoms of different elements that are connected to each other. Some individual attributes of the element are lost, and the newly formed connection acquires new attributes. Now questions arise: what is a compound in Chemistry? It is a compound represented by its chemical formula. The chemical formula is a symbolic representation of the atomic ratio constituting a specific compound. For example, water H₂O is a compound. Here we can see that Water is made up of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom ( Look into the below image).

H2O (Water)

Examples of Compounds:

Below we have listed 10 examples of compounds,

Compound	Formula
Water	H₂O
Sulphuric Acid	H₂SO₄
Alcohol	C₂H4_O
Common Salt	NaCl
Nitrous oxide	N₂O
Carbon Dioxide	CO₂
Glucose	C₆H₁₂O₆
Ammonia	NH₃
Acetic Acid	C₂H₄O₂
Copper sulphate	CuSO₄

Someone may ask, How many compounds are there? More than 350,000 compounds (including chemical mixtures) are registered for production and use worldwide. Also what is an element in chemistry it is a compound that can be transformed into another chemical substance by a chemical reaction with a second substance.

NCERT Chemistry Notes :

Types of compounds:

Compounds can be categorized as ionic and covalent compounds on the basis of formation.

Ionic compound and Covalent Compounds

Ionic Compound: Between metal and non-metal, ionic compounds are formed. They are also known as electrovalent ion compounds. The metal atom is cation-forming and the non-metal atom is forming an anion. Electrons are anions.

Examples: sodium chloride, calcium oxide, etc.

Covalent compound: Between two non-metals covalent compounds are formed. It is also known as a molecular compound. The electrons are formed by the sharing of two or more nonmetals.

Example: water, carbon dioxide, methane, sugar, etc.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. 1. What is a mixture? Give an example.

Mixtures are structures that are physically combined and can be separated into original components. One type of atom or molecule is a chemical substance for elements and compounds. A combination is made up of various kinds of atoms or molecules not chemically linked.
Example: A mixture of Sand and water, salt and water, etc.

2. 2. What are the properties of compounds?

Compound meaning is that which always contains the same element definition in chemistry in the same proportions; for example, each carbon atom in carbon dioxide always has two oxygen atoms, and each oxygen atom in water always has two hydrogen atoms. The entire structure of a compound is always identical.

3. 3. What is the difference between Mixture, elements and compound ?

Element definition is a substance that is made up of only one atom form. A compound is a material consisting of more than one bonded atom. A mixture is a combination of two or more unbounded compounds or compounds, each of which retains its own properties.

4. 4. Is water is an element or compound? Why?

Water is a compound because it contains more than one element that is hydrogen and oxygen combined in the ratio of 2:1.

5. 5. Is gold Element, Compound, or Mixture?

Gold is an Element. Gold is Element 79 in the periodic table and the symbol of gold is Au. In fact, there are 118 elements and compounds in a periodic table.

6. 6. Mention any four Compounds and their uses?