“Water is an element.”
Usage Entry 1293 / 1350 60-second read
Element vs. Compound
A pure substance with one kind of atom versus a substance of two or more elements chemically bonded.
The comparisoni
“Water is a compound — hydrogen plus oxygen. Elements (like hydrogen or oxygen alone) contain only one kind of atom.”
The ruleii
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ELEMENT = one kind. COMPOUND = two+ kinds.
ELEMENT is a pure substance made of one kind of atom — hydrogen, oxygen, gold. COMPOUND is two or more different elements chemically bonded — water, salt, carbon dioxide. The periodic table lists elements; compounds are built from them.
Memory aidiii
Remember it like this
Element = pure. Compound = combined.