Elements are substances that cannot be made into simpler substances. Currently, there are 116 elements that have been discovered, out of which 92 are naturally found on the Earth and the other 24 are atrificially made by scientist in the Lab. These 116 elements can be classified into the Periodic Table of Elements which classifies the Elements into different groups and categories based on their properties.For example, elements in a vertical collumn have similar properties while the elements on a row show the grdual change from metallic to non-metallic.
There are millions of compounds. Compounds are two or more subtances chemically combined. These compounds have different properties from their constituent elements.Some examples of compounds are water which is made up of hydrogen and oxygen and sucrose(sugar) which is made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.
Mixtures are the direct opposite of compounds. They are two or more subtances that are NOT chemically combined with each other. Mixtures can consist of elements, compounds or both. Some examples of mixtures are air, seawater and brass.
Compounds and Mixtures have many differences such as their properties, composition, melting and boling points, and their separation techniques. The properties of compounds differ from their original elements while the properties of mixtures remain the same. Mixtures are also made of unfixed amounts while compounds must be combined in a fixed amount. The boiling and melting points of compounds are also fixed while the boling and melting points of mixtures are not. To seperate a compound, you need to do it by chemical means which ususally results in a chemical reaction and produces energy. For mixtures, they can be seperated by physical means and do not have a chemical reactions.
Reflections: I feel that this topic is difficult as you have to memorize the different elements found in the Periodic Table of Elements and you also have to know all of the differences between the Compounds and Mixtures. However, this topic became very easy after I had done those two steps and grasp the concept.
