What is a compound?

Compound in Chemistry

Compound is considered to be the substance that is formed by combining two or more than two type of different chemical elements. They are combined in a manner that atoms of different other elements are held together through the chemical bonds, it is not easy to break this bond. These bonds get created when the electrons are exchanged or shared between the atoms. Smallest as well as the unbreakable unit of the compound is termed as molecule. There is a difference between a mixture and a compound, in mixture bonding amongst the constituent substance’s atom does not exist.

In certain situations, reaction takes place among different elements, after they are all mixed together, this creates the bonds among atoms, hence producing the molecules of the compound. In some other cases, you may mix different elements together and there are chances that they didn’t react, or no reaction occur, this means that individual identities of their own are retained by the elements. There are also chances that when you mix different elements, then they may start reacting and the reactions starts occurring at the slow pace, for example, process of rusting, when iron comes in contact of oxygen; the reaction could also take place rapidly, for example, when lithium comes in contact of oxygen. In some scenarios, when element comes in contact of compound, the reaction takes place, where formation of new compounds takes place, for example, when elemental sodium, a pure one, is immersed in the water.

Compound may often behave and look nothing same as the element, which it may comprise of. For example, oxygen (O) and hydrogen (H), the element mentioned here are gases at the normal atmospheric pressure and at the room temperature. But when you combine them in the familiar compound such as water, then every single molecule that contains one oxygen atom (H₂O) and two atoms of hydrogen, will result in the substance which will be a liquid in atmospheric pressure as well as at the room temperature.

Atoms of some elements doesn’t bond readily with each other and in some cases with another elements in order to form the compounds. These are termed as inert or noble gases, such as radon, krypton, neon, xenon and helium. Whereas, some elements combine readily with the other elements, in order to form the compounds, such as fluorine, chlorine and oxygen.

Compound in Biology

Biology has two different branches, which are zoology and botany, these branches helps to have better understanding of environment they live in such as animals and plants. When it comes to zoology, compound is considered as the group of all the living things, for example troop of the monkeys or colony of the coral. Compound is used as a terminology in botany, in order to describe the plants, for example compound of the leaf, which is made when various leaflets combine.

Understanding the Organic Compound

Organic compounds are the part of biology. Any kind of compound, which contains carbon, for example, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, proteins and lipids, which is consumed by the animals and humans are called as organic compound.