Compound Chemistry Example 3

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Example 3

medium
Classify each as an element, compound, or mixture: (a) table salt (NaCl), (b) oxygen gas (O2\text{O}_2), (c) bronze (Cu/Sn alloy), (d) carbon dioxide (CO2\text{CO}_2).

Solution

  1. 1
    (a) NaCl contains Na and Cl in a fixed ratio, chemically bonded → compound. (b) O2\text{O}_2 contains only one type of atom → element.
  2. 2
    (c) Bronze is a mixture of metals in variable proportions → mixture. (d) CO2\text{CO}_2 contains C and O chemically bonded in a fixed ratio → compound.

Answer

(a) compound, (b) element, (c) mixture, (d) compound\text{(a) compound, (b) element, (c) mixture, (d) compound}
The key distinctions are: elements have one type of atom, compounds have fixed chemical formulas, and mixtures have variable composition and can be physically separated.

About Compound

A pure substance composed of two or more different elements chemically bonded together in a fixed ratio, whose properties differ entirely from those of its.

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More Compound Examples

Example 1 easy

Define a compound and explain how it differs from both an element and a mixture.

Example 2 medium

Water ([formula]) is a compound that can be decomposed by electrolysis. Write the equation for this

Example 4 hard

Hydrogen peroxide ([formula]) and water ([formula]) both contain hydrogen and oxygen. Explain why th

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