Distinguish Between Elements and Compounds

Elements are listed on the periodic table. There are 118 different elements found on the periodic table. Some examples of elements are oxygen, nitrogen and iron. 

A compound is a substance that is made from two or more different elements chemically bonded together. Some examples of compounds are water, ethanol and carbon dioxide. 

Particle diagrams are used to show the arrangement of individual atoms in elements and compounds. All of the atoms in a particle diagram for an element will be the same colour and size. A particle diagram for a compound will show more than one type of atom, so we can tell the compound is made up of more than one type of element because they will have atoms with different colours and sizes.

This box contains two different compounds.

This box contains an element.

Now let's try some questions on elements and compounds.