What Are
Elements and
Compounds?
Pgs. 564-570
There are two types of
substances…
Elements & Compounds.
ELEMENTS
An element is a pure substance that is made of ONLY one type of atom
There are ~ 110 elements, each made of a different type of atom (periodic table).
All atoms in an element have the same atomic number, or number of protons
Each element has a name and symbol.
Chemical Symbols Represent
Elements Chemical
Symbols are
either one or two
letters.
If one letter, it is
always
capitalized.
If two letters, the
first is
capitalized, the
A chemical symbol implies one second is lower
atom of that element. case.
Not all elements are equally
common.
How are Elements Classified?
• The periodic table organizes elements
according to increasing atomic number
(proton number)
• Elements can also be classified according to
their physical characteristics/properties
• About 75% of elements are classified as
metals.
• Characteristics of metals: shiny, malleable,
conduct heat/electricity
How are Elements Classified?
• Elements can also be classified according to
which state of matter they exist in at room
temperature.
• Different elements can exist in nature as
either solids, liquids or gases
• Different elements may also have different
colors, odors, and textures.
COMPOUNDS
Are pure substances that are composed of
multiple types of elements (2 or more),
chemically bonded to one another.
Compounds can not be broken down by
physical methods (they can be broken down
by chemical reactions).
COMPOUNDS
Have definite compositions, with element ratios
indicated by
subscripts (H2O).
We call this building block
the “water molecule”.
COMPOUNDS
The properties of compounds
are very different from the
properties of the elements that
make them up!
Na + Cl NaCl
MIXTURES
A mixture is something that CAN be broken
down into simpler materials using
physical methods.
There are 3 possible types of mixtures:
1) Element + Another Element
2) Compound + Another Compound
3) Element + Compound
We learned that the properties of
compounds are TOTALLY DIFFERENT
from the properties of the elements that
make them up.
In contrast, the properties of mixtures ARE
related to the properties of the substances
that make the mixtures up.
Properties of
Saltwater
Element or Compound?
More on the Periodic Table
• To learn more about the periodic table,
please watch the video linked below:
• [Link]
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