Course Outline
General Chemistry
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Course Outline General Chemistry |
03/24/07 |
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Foundations of Chemistry:
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An element is a type of matter that cannot be broken down into simpler substances. Iron is an example of an element. There are roughly a hundred different elements in the universe, and all matter is made up of different combinations and blends of these elements. An element contains only one type of atom. A compound is a type of matter that can be broken down into simpler substances. A compound is made up of more than one type of element chemically combined to form a new substance with its own identity and properties. The number of different types of compounds is nearly infinite. Iron oxide, rust, is an example of a compound. It contains atoms of iron and oxygen. But these atoms are joined together in a way that converts them into something new with different properties. We can simplify iron oxide by converting it back into the elements iron and oxygen.
Concept Check: Explain, on an atomic level, why an element cannot be simplified like a compound can. Answer: An atom is made up of subatomic particles (protons, neutrons, and electrons) which are certainly simpler than the whole atom. However, these subatomic particles are indistinguishable, no matter what type of atom they belong to. An electron from a iron atom is exactly the same as an electron from a oxygen atom which is the same as an electron from a hydrogen atom, and so on. In order to simplify an element, you would have to break its atoms apart into simpler units. If you do that, you break the atom apart and turn it into a collection of pieces that have lost their uniqueness and functionality.
© Copyright 2006, Kelley Whitley, ChemProfessor. All rights reserved. This site was last updated 10/06/06 |
