Elements and

Compounds

A Mr. Mularella Presentation

The 4 Ancient Elements

Earth Air Fire Water

Elements
 There are currently 118 elements that
have been identified though only 88 of
them are naturally occurring.
Elements in the Universe
 In our universe, hydrogen makes up 75%
of all matter!

 Helium makes up about 20% with oxygen

being the 3rd most abundant element.

 All of the other elements are relatively rare

in the universe.
Elements in the Earth
 In the Earth’s crust, oxygen is the most
abundant element (46.6%).
 Silicon is the second most abundant
element (27.7%).
 Aluminum (8.1%), iron (5.0%), calcium
(3.6%), sodium (2.8%), potassium (2.6%).
and magnesium (2.1%) complete the list
of elements that account for approximately
98.5% of the total mass of the earth's
crust.
Elements
 Elements are a pure substance.
 Made of only one kind of material, has definite
properties, and is the same all throughout.

 Elements are the simplest pure substance.

 They cannot be broken down into simpler
substances without losing their identity.
Elements and Atoms
 The smallest particle of an element that
has the properties of that element is called
an atom.

 Atoms: the building blocks of matter.

 Atoms of the same element are alike;

atoms of different elements
are different.
ChemicalSymbols
 Shorthand way of representing the
elements.

 Usually one or two letters.

 Usually taken from the name of the

element.
 Carbon-C,Calcium-Ca, Hydrogen-H, Iodine-I,
Oxygen-O, Chlorine-Cl
Chemical Symbols
 Some symbols come from their Latin
name:
 Gold-Au--aurum
 Silver-Ag--argentum
 Iron-Fe--Ferrum
 Mercury-Hg--hydrogyrum
Compounds
 Pure substances made up of more than
one element.
 2 or more elements chemically combined.
 Ex: H2O, NaCl, C6H12O6, CO2
 Unlike elements, compounds can be
broken down to simpler substances.
 This can happen through a chemical
reaction.
Compounds
 The properties of the elements that make
up a compound are often quite different
from the properties of the compound itself.

 Sodium-Na--highly reactive metal

 Chlorine-Cl--poisonous gas

 Sodium Chloride-NaCl--table salt

Molecules
 Compounds are made of molecules.
 A molecule is 2 or more atoms chemically bonded.
 Water-2 atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen-
together they form one molecule of H2O.
 A molecule is the smallest particle of a
compound that has all the properties of that
compound.
 Just as all atoms of a certain element are alike,
all molecules of a certain compound are alike.
Chemical Formulas
 A shorthand way of representing compounds.
 If chemical symbols are the “letters,” these are
the “words.”
 Ex: NH3 - ammonia, C3H7OH - rubbing alcohol
 Sometimes, the formula represents a molecule
of a single element.
 These are called diatomic molecules. This is
how that element is naturally found.
 O2-Oxygen H2-Hydrogen Cl2-Chlorine
Chemical Formulas
 Subscripts are small numbers used in chemical
formulas.
 They are placed to the lower RIGHT of the
chemical symbols.
 Represent # of atoms of an element in a
compound.

 CO2 = 1 atom of carbon and 2 atoms of oxygen.

 H2SO4 = 2 atoms of hydrogen, 1 atom of
sulfur and 4 atoms of oxygen