Elements And Compounds: Learn Their Types, Examples & Differences

Pure chemical elements and compounds can be found in nature. An element is a substance made of the same type of atoms as a compound, but a compound is made of various elements in specific proportions. Elements and compounds are different from each other. There are different types of elements like metal, non-metals and metalloids. On the other hand, compounds are also different types that are ionic compounds and covalent compounds. In this Chemistry article, we will read about elements and compounds.

What are Elements?

A fundamental object that is difficult to divide into smaller pieces is known as an element. An element is a substance that cannot be broken down by non-nuclear reactions in chemistry. The foundation of chemistry and matter are elements. The number of protons in an element’s nucleus gives it its unique properties. On the periodic table of the elements, the chemical elements are arranged. Every element has a symbol and an atomic number.

Example of Elements –

Carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, gold, silver and iron are some examples of elements.

Types of Elements

There are different types of elements:

Metals – Metals may be hammered into sheets and are malleable, ductile, and good conductors of heat and electricity (they can be drawn into wire). At room temperature, the majority of metals are solids and have a characteristic silvery lustre.

Non-metals – Non-metals lack malleability and ductility, are often poor heat and electricity conductors, and many of the basic nonmetals are gases at room temperature. Other non-metals can also be liquids or solids.

Metalloids – Metalloids have intermediate characteristics. They approach non-metals more in terms of their physical characteristics, yet several of them may be induced to conduct electricity under specific conditions.

What are Compounds?

Compounds are pure substances that are made up of atoms of two or more different elements. Compounds can be divided into individual elements. A predetermined proportion of atoms make up these compounds. Atoms are connected together through chemical bonds. The forces that keep the atoms of molecules and compounds together are best characterized as chemical bonds. Chemical bonds can be divided into two categories: ionic and covalent bonds.

Ions with oppositely charged charges attract one another electrostatically to form an ionic bond. At least one valence electron from one ion is entirely transferred to the other ion. The ion acquires a positive charge when an electron is lost, and a negative charge when an electron is gained. Cations and anions are the names for positively and negatively charged ions, respectively.

A covalent bond is created when two atoms exchange one of their valence electrons, forming a connection. All molecules cannot be compounds.

Examples of Compounds:

Name of compound	Formula
Sodium chloride	NaCl
Water

Types of Compounds

There are two types of compounds:

Ionic Compounds

Ionic bonds form between a metal and a non-metal. When an atom loses electrons, a cation is formed, and when an atom gains electrons, an anion is formed. These two oppositely charged atoms attract one another to form an ionic bond, and the compound is known as an ionic compound. Atoms always have a tendency to obtain stable electronic configurations.

Since they are also known as ionic compounds, they are bound by electrostatic forces. Ionic compounds can also occur when two atoms have a significant variation in their electronegativity, which causes one atom to attract electrons more strongly than the other and cause atoms to lose and gain electrons.

Covalent Compounds

Covalent bonds occur when atoms share electron pairs. Atoms create covalent bonds with one another in order to build a complete electron shell, which increases stability. Atoms can fill up their outer electron shell and become stable by sharing their outermost (valence) electrons. In order to achieve stability, non-metals will quickly make covalent bonds with other non-metals. Depending on how many valence electrons they have, non-metals can form anywhere from one to three covalent bonds with other non-metals. Even while it is commonly believed that atoms distribute electrons evenly when they form covalent bonds, this is not always the case.

Difference Between Element and Compound

The difference between elements and compounds are:

Elements	Compounds
Elements are the pure substance	It’s a mixed substance, not pure.
It contains only one type of atom.	It contains atoms of many types.
The chemical and physical properties of elements are distinct.	There are distinct physical and chemical characteristics of compounds.
The breakdown of elements into simpler compounds is not possible by chemical methods	Chemical processes can further decompose compounds into simpler ones.
Examples of elements include sodium, hydrogen, and oxygen.	Examples of compounds are cane sugar and water.