A pure substance is a sample of Matter with both definite and constant composition and distinct Chemical Properties. To avoid confusion, a pure substance is often referred to as a “chemical substance.”

Elements

Element is a substance that cannot be broken down by chemical means. Although elements aren’t changed by chemical reactions, new elements may be formed by nuclear reactions.

Elements are defined by the number of protons they possess. Atoms of an element all have the same number of protons, but they can have different numbers of electrons and neutrons. Changing the ratio of electrons to protons creates ions, while changing the number of neutrons form isotopes.

The smallest particles of matter are called atoms.

For example; a carrot.

If you continue to chop a carrot into smaller and smaller pieces, eventually you would reach a point where you could not cut up the carrot anymore, but still have carrot. You would then have molecules of carrot. The same applies to elements. If you continually cut up a piece of aluminum, you will reach a point that you could no longer divide it. These are aluminum atoms. An atom is the smallest particle of an element that has the properties of that element. Some properties of aluminum are: shiny, silver colored, fragile, and thin. Each element has its own type of properties.

Compounds

A Compound is a chemical substamce composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) composed of atoms from more than one element held together by chemical bonds. A chemical element bonded to an identical chemical element is not a chemical compound since only one element, not two different elements, is involved.

There are four types of compounds, depending on how the constituent atoms are held together:

• molecules held together by covalent bonds
• ionic compounds held together by ionic bonds
• intermetallic compounds held together by metallic bonds
• certain complexes held together by coordinate covalent bonds.

Water, salt, and sugar is an examply of a compound.

When the elements are joined, the atoms lose their individual properties and have different properties from the elements they are composed of. A chemical formula is used a quick way to show the composition of compounds. Letters, numbers, and symbols are used to represent elements and the number of elements in each compound.

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— Oscar Wilde.

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