Elements and compounds are pure chemic substances found in nature. The difference between an chemical element and a compound is that an element is a substance made of aforementioned blazon of atoms, whereas a compound is made of unlike elements in definite proportions. Examples of elements include iron, copper, hydrogen and oxygen. Examples of compounds include water (H2O) and table salt (Sodium Chloride - NaCl).

Elements are listed according to their atomic number on the Periodic Table. Amongst the 117 known elements, 94 are naturally occurring like carbon, oxygen, hydrogen etc. 22 are artificially produced having undergone radioactive changes. The reason for this is their instability due to which they undergo radioactive decay over a menstruum of time giving rise to new elements during the process similar Uranium, Thorium, Bismuth etc. Elements combine in stock-still ratios and give rise to stable compounds due to chemical bonds that facilitate compound formation.

Comparison chart

Compound versus Element comparison chart
Compound Element
Definition A compound contains atoms of different elements chemically combined together in a fixed ratio. An element is a pure chemical substance made of aforementioned type of cantlet.
Composition Compounds contain dissimilar elements in a fixed ratio bundled in a defined manner through chemical bonds. They contain only one blazon of molecule. Elements that compose the compound are chemically combined. Elements contain simply one type of atom. Each atom has the aforementioned atomic number i.e., the same number of protons in their nucleus.
Ability to break down A chemical compound can be separated into simpler substances by chemical methods/reactions. Elements cannot be broken downwardly into simpler substances by chemic reactions.
Representation A compound is represented using its chemical formula that represents the symbols of its constituent elements and the number of atoms of each chemical element in one molecule of the chemical compound. An element is represented using symbols.
Types A huge, virtually limitless, number of chemical compounds can be created. Compounds are classified into molecular compounds, ionic compounds, intermetallic compounds and complexes. At that place are virtually 117 elements that have been observed. Tin can be classified as metal, not-metal or metalloid.
Examples Water (Water), Sodium chloride (NaCl), Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) and Hydrochloric acid (HCl) are examples of compounds. Hydrogen (H), Oxygen (O), Sodium (Na), Chlorine (Cl), Carbon (C), Atomic number 26 (Fe), copper (Cu), silvery (Ag), and gold (Au) are examples of elements.

Differences in Backdrop

Elements are distinguished past their proper noun, symbol, atomic number, melting signal, boiling point, density and ionization energies. In the Periodic Tabular array, elements are arranged according to their atomic number and they are grouped according to like chemical properties and are depicted by their symbols.

  • Atomic number – the atomic number is denoted by the letter Z and is the number of protons nowadays in the nucleus of the atom of element. For east.g. carbon has 6 protons in its nucleus and for Carbon, Z = vi. Number of protons is also indicative of electric charge or number of electrons present in the nucleus which determines chemic properties of the element.
  • Atomic Mass – the letter A indicates the atomic mass of the element which is the total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom of the element. Isotopes of the same elements differ in their diminutive masses.
  • Isotopes – isotopes of an element have the same number of protons in their nucleus but differ in the number of neutrons. Naturally occurring elements have more than i stable isotope. Thus isotopes have similar chemical backdrop (due to same number of protons) only different nuclear properties (due to different number of neutrons). For due east.yard. carbon has three isotopes, Carbon - 12, Carbon -13 and Carbon - 14.
  • Allotropes – atoms of an element tin form bonds with each other in more than 1 fashion leading to difference in their chemical properties. For due east.thou. carbon binds in a tetrahedron to form diamond and layers of hexagons of carbon forms graphite.

Compounds are equanimous of different elements in a fixed proportion. For example, 1 atom of sodium (Na) combines with 1 atom of chlorine (Cl) to form i molecule of sodium chloride (NaCl) compound. The elements in a compound do not ever retain their original backdrop and cannot be separated past physical means. The combining of elements is facilitated by their valency. Valency is divers as the number of hydrogen atoms required that can combine with an atom of the element forming the compound. Almost compounds can be every bit solids (depression plenty temperatures) and can exist decomposed by the awarding of heat. Sometimes foreign elements are trapped inside crystal structure of compounds giving them a non homogeneous structure. Compounds are depicted by their chemical formula which follows the Hill system wherein carbon atoms are listed first, followed past hydrogen atoms afterward which elements are listed in alphabetical order.

Visualizing the Differences

This picture shows the differences between elements and compounds at an atomic level. Elements have only 1 blazon of atoms; compounds have more than i. Elements and compounds are both substances; they differ from mixtures where different substances mix together but not via atomic bonds.

A visualization for the differences between elements, compounds and mixtures, both homogenous and heterogenous.

History of Elements and Compounds

Elements were initially used as a reference to any state of matter like liquid, gas, air, solid etc. Indian, Japanese and Greek traditions refer to v elements namely, air, h2o, earth, burn down and aether. Aristotle conceptualized a new fifth element called 'quintessence' - which evidently formed the heavens. As research connected, many eminent scientists paved way for the current understanding and description of elements. Among them, work of Robert Boyle, Antoine Lavoisier, Dmitri Mendeleev are particularly notable. Lavoisier was the beginning to make a list of chemical elements and Mendeleev was the get-go to arrange elements according to their diminutive number in the Periodic Table. The nearly current definition of an element is awarded by the studies carried out past Henry Moseley which states that the diminutive number of an atom is expressed physically by its nuclear charge.

Before the 1800s the usage of term compound could as well mean a mixture. Information technology was in the 19th century that meaning of a compound could be distinguished from a mixture. Alchemists like Joseph Louis Proust, Dalton and Berthollet and their studies on diverse compounds have given modern chemical science the current definition of chemical compound. Proust'southward work demonstrated to the earth of chemical science that compounds were made constant limerick of respective elements.

CAS Number

Every chemical substance is identified by its unique numerical identifier – the CAS (chemical abstracts service) number. Hence every chemical compound and chemical element has a CAS number. This makes database searches for elements and compounds more convenient.

References

  • Chemic element - Wikipedia
  • Compound - Wikipedia
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