Chemical Compound Facts

Compounds are substances that are made when the atoms of two or more different elements join together.
The properties of a compound are usually very different from those of the elements which it is made of.
Compounds are different from mixtures because the elements are joined together chemically. They can only be separated by a chemical reaction.
Every molecule of a compound is exactly the same combination of atoms.
The scientific name of a compound is usually a combination of the elements involved, although it might have a different common name.
Table salt is the chemical compound sodium chloride. Each molecule has one sodium and one chlorine atom.
The chemical formula of a compound summarizes which atoms a molecule is made of. The chemical formula for water is H 20 because each water molecule has two hydrogen (H) atoms and one oxygen (0) atom.
Table salt, or sodium chloride, forms when sodium Hydroxide neutralizes hydrocloric acid.
There only 100 or so elements but they can combine in different ways to form many millions of compounds.
The same combination of elements, such as carbon and hydrogen, can form many different compounds.
Compounds are either organic (see organic chemistry), which means they contain carbon atoms, or inorganic.

This entry is filed under Interesting Facts.