Question

What is the difference between an element and a compound?​

Answer 1

ELEMENTS

Elements are substances that are pure in their nature and are composed of a single atom.

Till now 118 elements have been discovered out of which 94 elements are naturally occurring on Earth.

Elements can be categorized as metals, metalloids, and nonmetals.

Elements are the single atoms. Hence they cannot be broken down.

They are represented using numbers and symbols.

Examples: hydrogen, oxygen, copper, boron etc.

COMPOUNDS

Compounds are also pure substances that are composed of elements in definite proportions.

Infinite number of compounds can be formed. There is no absolute number.

Compounds are divided into three categories: Metallic, ionic, and molecular.

Compounds can be broken down using chemical reactions.

They are represented using chemical formulas.

Example: water, ammonia, sodium chloride.

Answer 2

An element is a pure substance made up of only one type of atom, like oxygen or gold. A compound, on the other hand, is a substance made up of two or more different elements chemically combined, like water (H2O) or carbon dioxide (CO2).