COMPOUND BASICS

Compounds are groups of two or more elements that are bonded together. There are two main types of bonds that hold those atoms together, covalent and electrovalent/ionic bonds. Covalent compounds happen when the atoms share the electrons, and ionic compounds happen when electrons are donated from one atom to another.

A physical force would crack a solid, but the molecules inside would remain the same.

A physical force would crack a solid, but the molecules inside would remain the same.

We talked about compounds and molecules in the matter tutorials. When we discuss phase changes to matter, physical forces create the changes. When we talk about compounds, bonds are built and broken down by chemical forces. Physical forces (unless you're inside of the Sun or something extreme) cannot break down compounds. Chemical forces are forces caused by other compounds or molecules that act on substances.

There are millions of different compounds around you. Chances are everything you can see is one type of compound or another. When elements join and become compounds, they lose their individual traits. Sodium alone is very reactive. But when sodium and chlorine combine, they form a non-reactive substance called sodium chloride (Salt, NaCl). The compound has none of the traits or the original elements. The new compound is not as reactive as the original elements. It has a new life of its own.

DIFFERENT BONDS ABOUND

Most compounds are made up of combinations of bonds. If you look at sodium chloride (NaCl), it is held together by one ionic bond. What about magnesium chloride (MgCl2)? One magnesium (Mg) and two chlorine (Cl) atoms. There are two ionic bonds. There's a compound called methane (CH4). It is made up of one carbon (C) and four hydrogens (H). There are four bonds and they are all covalent. Those examples are very simple compounds, but most compounds are combinations of ionic and covalent bonds.

Let's look at sodium hydroxide (Na-OH)…

You can see that on the left is the sodium (Na) part and the right has the oxygen/hydrogen (-OH) part. The bond that binds the hydrogen (H) to the oxygen (O) is covalent. The sodium (Na) is bonded to the hydroxide part of the compound with an ionic bond. This is a very good example of how there can be different types of bonds within one compound.

RELATED LINKS

- Biology4Kids: Scientific Method
- Geography4Kids: Chemical Erosion
- Geography4Kids: Biogeochemical Cycles

-	Overview
-	Structure
-	Orbitals
-	Ions
-	Electrons
-	Isotopes
-	Neutrons
-	Bonding
>	Compounds
-	Compound Names
-	Advanced Ideas
	MORE CHEMISTRY TOPICS

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