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Elements and compounds are pure chemical substances found in nature. The difference between an element and a compound is that an element is a substance made of same type of atoms, whereas a compound is made of different elements in definite proportions. Examples of elements include iron, copper, hydrogen and oxygen. Examples of compounds include water (H2O) and salt (Sodium Chloride - NaCl)Elements are listed according to their atomic number on the Periodic Table. Among 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 period of time giving rise to new elements during the process like Uranium, Thorium, Bismuth etc. Elements combine in fixed ratios and give rise to stable compounds due to chemical bonds that facilitate compound formation.Comparison chartCompound versus Element comparison chartCompound ElementDefinition 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.e., the same number of protons in their nucleus.Ability to break down A compound can be separated into simpler substances by chemical methods/reactions. Elements cannot be broken down into simpler substances by chemical reactions.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 117 elements that have been observed. Can be classified as metal, non-metal or metalloid.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.Examples Water (H2O), Sodium chloride (NaCl), Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) etc. Hydrogen (H), Oxygen (O), Sodium (Na), Chlorine (Cl), Carbon (C), Iron (Fe), copper (Cu), silver (Ag), gold (Au) etc.
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