An element is the simpliest form of matter. If we take any substance and separate its components, we eventually end up with a pile of identical particles called elements. Each type of element is made of identical units called atoms. These atoms have a central zone called a nucleus that houses subatomic particles called protons and neutrons. Protons get their name because they have a positive electrical charge. Neutrons get their name because they are neutral in charge. Traveling around the nucleus, in a pathway called an orbital, are negatively charged particles known as electrons. These electrons are always in motion and are held near the nucleus by the attraction between their charge and that of the nucleus. (Opposites attract!)
Life would be pretty boring if we only had elements. To give us variety of molecules and substances, two or more atoms can join together to form molecules. How do they combine? They do this by forming chemical bonds.
There are two types of chemical bonds. One type is called a covalent bond. In this type, a pair of electrons is shared between two atoms. The shared pair spends part of the time traveling around one nucleus and part of the time traveling around the other nucleus. This sharing can be equal or unequal. The second type of bond is called ionic. In this type, an electron is transferred from one atom to another, creating atoms that have a positive or negative charge. Again, opposites attract and these two charged atoms, now called ions, are held together.
An Element is a substance which is composed of atoms (Atoms are made of three particles namely protons, electrons and neutrons),each atom of the same element has the same number of protons, which is called the atomic number of that element. As Elements are the simplest substances that’s why element cannot broken down by any chemical synthesis or chemical reaction. Name of Some Elements are Hydrogen (H), Nitrogen (N), and Oxygen (O) etc. In the other hand, a compound is a substance or molecule that formed by combination of many different elements together i.e. when more than two different elements join together by chemical bonds and formed a new substance that is called compound, as for example, H2O is a compound, this is formed by the combination of two Hydrogen element/atom and One Oxygen element/atom. Here two Hydrogen element and One Oxygen atom join together formed H2O or water compound or molecule. Water is a liquid compound but compounds are also found in gas, solid form. Compound can be formed in large size like C6H6O12 (Glucose) as well as in small size like H2O (water). Name of Some Compounds are H2O, CH4 (Methane), H2So4 (Sulfuric acid), NH3 (Ammonia) etc.
As a result we can say, Compound can be composed from Elements but Element cannot be composed from Compounds.
Elements cannot break down into smaller species whereas Compounds can be broken down into smaller species.
An element is only made out of one particular atom. If you were to look at the periodic table, every square is representing one element. So, sodium (Na) is just sodium. It is made up of only sodium atoms, which have special properties associated with them. That is the same with every element on the table. Every element is made of a special atom that is somewhat different than the atoms in all the rest of the elements on the table. They are arranged on the periodic table so that atoms with similar chemical properties are next to each other.
A compound, however, is when two or more elements are combined together to make a completely different substance. When sodium (Na) is combined with chlorine (Cl), it makes sodium chloride (NaCl). Sodium chloride behaves differently than both sodium and chlorine by themselves. Chlorine, for example, is a gas at room temperature. Sodium is a solid that is really soft, almost like cream cheese. When they combine, they make a crystal-like substance, which we know as salt.
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