Here's why:
* Element: A pure substance made up of only one type of atom (e.g., gold, oxygen).
* Compound: A pure substance formed when two or more different elements chemically combine in a fixed ratio (e.g., water (H₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂)).
Key characteristics of compounds:
* New Properties: Compounds have properties different from the elements that make them up (e.g., water is a liquid, but hydrogen and oxygen are gases).
* Fixed Ratio: The elements in a compound combine in a specific, unchanging ratio (e.g., water always has two hydrogen atoms for every oxygen atom).
* Chemical Bonds: Atoms in a compound are held together by chemical bonds.
