Is it possible to distinguish between an element and a compound

The chemical elements are divided into the metals, the metalloids, and the non-metals. Metals, typically found on the left side of the periodic table, are:. In contrast, non-metals, found on the right side of the periodic table to the right of the staircase , are:. Metalloids have some characteristics of metals and some characteristics of non-metals. Silicon and arsenic are metalloids. As of November, , elements have been identified the most recently identified was ununseptium, in Of these known elements, only the first 98 are known to occur naturally on Earth.

The elements that do not occur naturally on Earth are the synthetic products of man-made nuclear reactions. Hydrogen and helium are by far the most abundant elements in the universe.

The remainder is dark matter, a mysterious substance that is not composed of chemical elements. Dark matter lacks protons, neutrons, or electrons. Pure samples of isolated elements are uncommon in nature. Carbon is also commonly found in the form of coal, graphite, and diamonds. The noble gases e. Still, most of these elements are found in mixtures.

When two distinct elements are chemically combined—i. Most elements on Earth bond with other elements to form chemical compounds, such as sodium Na and Chloride Cl , which combine to form table salt NaCl. Water is another example of a chemical compound. The two or more component elements of a compound can be separated through chemical reactions.

Chemical compounds have a unique and defined structure, which consists of a fixed ratio of atoms held together in a defined spatial arrangement by chemical bonds. Chemical compounds can be:.

Pure chemical elements are not considered chemical compounds, even if they consist of diatomic or polyatomic molecules molecules that contain only multiple atoms of a single element, such as H 2 or S 8. Boundless vets and curates high-quality, openly licensed content from around the Internet. Compound vs. 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 same type of atom. Composition Compounds contain different elements in a fixed ratio arranged in a defined manner through chemical bonds. They contain only one type of molecule. Elements that compose the compound are chemically combined. Elements contain only one type of atom.

Each atom has the same atomic number i. Elements cannot be broken down into simpler substances by chemical 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 element in one molecule of the 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. There are about elements that have been observed. Can be classified as metal, non-metal or metalloid.

Differences in Properties Elements are distinguished by their name, symbol, atomic number, melting point, boiling point, density and ionization energies. Atomic number — the atomic number is denoted by the letter Z and is the number of protons present in the nucleus of the atom of element.

For e. Number of protons is also indicative of electric charge or number of electrons present in the nucleus which determines chemical 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 atomic 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 one stable isotope. Thus isotopes have similar chemical properties due to same number of protons but different nuclear properties due to different number of neutrons. Allotropes — atoms of an element can form bonds with each other in more than one way leading to difference in their chemical properties.

Visualizing the Differences This picture shows the differences between elements and compounds at an atomic level. Follow Share Cite Authors. Share this comparison: If you read this far, you should follow us: "Compound vs Element.

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Log in ». Terms of use Privacy policy. A compound contains atoms of different elements chemically combined together in a fixed ratio. Compounds contain different elements in a fixed ratio arranged in a defined manner through chemical bonds. A compound is represented using its chemical formula that represents the symbols of its constituent elements and the number of atoms of each element in one molecule of the compound.