What is the difference between an element and a compound?
Quick answer
An element is a pure substance made of only one type of atom and cannot be broken down into simpler substances by chemical means — for example oxygen (O₂), iron (Fe) or carbon (C).
A compound is a pure substance formed when two or more different elements are chemically combined in a fixed ratio — for example water (H₂O) or carbon dioxide (CO₂). A compound's properties are different from those of its constituent elements, and it can only be separated into them by chemical reactions, not physical methods.
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