What is a Compound?

Compounds are an integral part of the chemistry world, and general understanding of them is key if you want to understand what is happening in a chemical reaction. In order to understand compounds, we must understand atoms and molecules, so let’s start there.

Atoms

An atom is the smallest unit of matter that is still recognised as an element. Elements are the most basic “building blocks” of matter, and are made up of one type of atom only. For example, an atom of Oxygen contains 8 protons, 8 electrons and 8 neutrons, this makes up the entire Oxygen element, the nature of the element is determined by the number of protons and the number of electrons. An Oxygen atom is symbolized with a capital ‘O’ (O), similarly, each element is represented by a single symbol meaning things like Hydrogen (H), Carbon (C), Nitrogen (N) and so on.

Molecules

A molecule is made up of two or more atoms. The atoms may belong to the same element, or to different elements. For example, two Hydrogen atoms (H2) make up a molecule of Hydrogen, and a molecule of water (H2O) is made up of two Hydrogen atoms and one Oxygen atom. The combination of atoms in a molecule is known as the formula, in the case of the Hydrogen molecule it is H2 and in the case of water it is H2O.

Compounds

Now that you have an understanding of atoms and molecules, you can understand more about compounds. A compound is a molecule made up of different elements, it is represented by a molecular formula which is usually written as symbols with numbers placed over the symbols. For example, the molecular formula for Methane (CH4) is Carbon (C) and Hydrogen (H) with four Hydrogen atoms (the number 4 is placed above the symbol).

As mentioned earlier, molecules can be made up of two or more elements, however the elements must form a chemical bond in order to create a compound. The bond is formed when the electrons of the different atoms are attracted to one another, the result of this is a chemical reaction that binds the atoms together and results in a different substance.

Some common compounds include Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Sodium Chloride (NaCl), Sulphuric Acid (H2SO4) and Methanol (CH3OH). All of these compounds are made up of two or more elements and by understanding the molecular formula you can determine what the elements are.

Conclusion

Compounds are an essential part of chemistry as it is the process of chemical reactions that allow us to create compounds. Understanding atomic structure, molecules and how elements form chemical bonds is key to developing an understanding of compounds. Compounds are represented by a molecular formula which shows us the elements that are included, and how they are bonded together. All compounds are different, and understanding them can be the key to unlocking new chemical reactions and substances.