Chapter 4 – Elements, Compounds and Mixtures

‘O’ Level Chemistry

Chapter 4 – Elements, Compounds and Mixtures

Element
 A substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances by chemical means.
 Each element has its own symbol and all are listed down in the Periodic Table.
 Oxygen is the most abundant element on Earth.

 Classification of Elements:
Elements

Physical State Metals / Non-metals According to properties

Solid / Liquid / Gas In Periodic Table

 Elements are made up of:

- Atoms
 The smallest unit of an element
 It has the properties of that element.
 Example: All hydrogen atoms are the same. They are different from the atoms of other elements.
 Extremely small.
 Symbol of an atom is the symbol of that element
 Example: all metals are made up of atoms.
- Molecules
 A group of two or more atoms of the same element chemically joined What do these chemical
together. formulae tell you about
the molecules?
 Molecules in an element are made up of atoms of the same kind. They show the number
 Most non-metals are made up of molecules. Example: hydrogen gas and kind of atoms it
(H2), oxygen gas (O2), chlorine gas (Cl2), etc. contains.

Compound
 A pure substance containing two or more elements chemically combined together.
 Example: water, carbon dioxide gas, glucose, salt
 When elements combined together to form compounds, energy is usually involved in the reaction
 The compound formed
- Has different physical and chemical properties from its constituent Examples of reactions:
elements  Reaction between iron and
- Always has fixed composition by mass sulfur to give iron (II) sulfide.
 Reaction between oxygen
- Always consists of the same group of elements in the same ratio and hydrogen to give water.
 E.g. carbon dioxide always consists of carbon and oxygen in the ratio 1:2  Combustion.

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 Chapter 4 – Elements, Compounds and Mixtures
 Compounds are made up of: What does this chemical formula
tell you about the molecule?
- Molecules
 A group of two or more atoms of different elements chemically joined together.
 They are represented by chemical formulae. Example: Carbon dioxide is represented as CO2.
 Examples of compounds containing molecules: water, carbon dioxide, sugar, etc.
- Ions
 Atoms that are electrically charged when they lose or gain electron(s).
 They can be positively (+) charged, also called cation, OR
 They can be negatively (-) charged, also called anion.
 Example: Sodium chloride is an ionic compound made up of ions.
More will be covered in Chapter 6
 Sodium ions are positively charged (Na+) on Chemical Bonding
Sodium chloride
 Chloride ions are negatively charged (Cl-)
 The number of sodium ions = number of chloride ions. Hence its formula is NaCl.
 Examples of compounds containing ions: calcium oxide, potassium iodide, Refer to Appendix 1 for
aluminium oxide, magnesium chloride, etc. Naming of Compounds

Mixture
 It consists of two or more substances that are not chemically
combined together.
 Can consist of elements, compounds or both. Examples:
 Reaction mixture
 Particles of the different substances are mixed together.  Aqueous solutions
 Substances in the mixture may be solids, liquids or gases.  Alloys

 Examples: air, salt solution, alloys (brass, bronze)

 A mixture:
- Is an impure substance which does not have fixed melting and Melting / boiling point determination
boiling points is used to distinguish a mixture from a
pure, single element or compound.
- Melts or boils over a range of temperatures
- Does not have own properties
- Takes the same properties as its components
- Can be mixed in different proportions (has a variable composition by mass)
- Easily separated into its components by physical means without a chemical reaction

Elements Compounds Mixture of elements Mixture of Mixture of elements

compounds and compounds
Fig. 1: Diagrams of particles present in Elements, Compounds and Mixtures

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 Chapter 4 – Elements, Compounds and Mixtures
Summary Table
Element Compound Mixture
 A pure substance
containing two or more
 A substance that cannot be different elements  Two or more substances
broken down into simpler chemically combined that are not chemically
Definition combined together.
substances by chemical together.
means.
e.g. hydrogen + oxygen
 water
 By state.
 By the type of bonding
Classification  As metals and non-metals. -
(covalent or ionic)
 In the Periodic Table
 Atoms
- The smallest unit of an  Molecules
element. - Formed by covalent
- Extremely small bonding
 Mixture of elements
 Molecules E.g. CO2, H2O
 Mixture of compounds
- A group of atoms  Ions
 Mixture of both elements
It can exist chemically joined - Atoms that have an
and compounds.
as… together electrical charge
E.g. Air, seawater, alloys
- Atoms in the molecule - Atoms lose or gain
(brass and bronze)
must be of the same kind. electrons to form ions
- Chemical formula shows - Form ionic compounds
the number and kinds of E.g. NaCl, MgO, Ca(OH)2
atoms it contains.
E.g. H2, Cl2, O2
 Fixed composition of the
 Fixed composition of the  Variable composition by
Composition atoms if it exists as a
elements by mass. mass.
molecule
 Variable
Melting and
 Fixed  Fixed  Melts and boils over a
boiling points
range of temperature.
 Does not usually have its
 Own physical and chemical own properties.
 Own characteristic physical
Properties properties which are
and chemical properties.  It has the same properties
different from its elements.
as its components.
 Cannot be separated into
two or more other
substances by physical  Easily separated into its
 Cannot be separated or means. components by physical
Separation
broken down further. means without chemical
 Chemical reaction is reaction
needed to separate the
elements.

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