In the previous lesson we will learned about elements, in this lesson we will learn about compounds and mixtures.
What are Compounds?
A compound is a pure substance containing two or more elements that are chemically combined in a fixed ratio. A compound may be made up molecules or another type of particles called ions. Ions are electrically charged particles. An ion carries either a positive or negative charge(s). For example: water is a compound made up of water molecules present with fixed ratio of two elements; hydrogen and oxygen, which is 2:1 respectively. A compound has completely different properties than the elements it is made of.
Chemical Formulae of Compounds:
A compound can be represented by a chemical formulae. The chemical formulae of a compound is made by putting together the chemical symbols of the elements that compound is made of. The chemical formulae tells us the elements present in a compound and in what ratio the atoms of the elements are present in a compound.
For example, formulae of a molecule of a water compound is:
H O
2
This means there are two hydrogen atoms bonded to one oxygen atom to form a water molecule.
Compounds can not be broken down into its simpler components through physical processes but process like electrolysis ( using electricity to break down a compound ) or thermal decomposition ( using excess amount of heat to break down a compound ).
What is a Mixture?
Mixtures are made up of two or more substances that are not chemically combined; hence they are not pure substances. Substances in a mixture are present in any ratio and mixtures have similar chemical properties as those of the substances it is made up of. The components of a mixture can be separated through physical processes.
*All pictures are taken from google*
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