Which term describes a pure substance made of two or more elements chemically combined?

Which term describes a pure substance made of two or more elements chemically combined?

• A. Compound
• B. Suspension
• C. Atom
• D. Molecule

Answer: (A)

A compound is a pure substance formed when two or more elements are chemically bonded in a fixed ratio. The elements lose their individual identities, yielding new properties distinct from the original elements. This distinguishes it from a suspension, which is a mixture with particles not chemically joined, and from an atom, which is a single element’s basic unit. A molecule is a bonded group of atoms and can be two atoms of the same element or of different elements; however, only when the bonded elements are different elements in a definite proportion do you have a compound, like water (two hydrogen atoms with one oxygen atom).

A compound is a pure substance formed when two or more elements are chemically bonded in a fixed ratio. The elements lose their individual identities, yielding new properties distinct from the original elements. This distinguishes it from a suspension, which is a mixture with particles not chemically joined, and from an atom, which is a single element’s basic unit. A molecule is a bonded group of atoms and can be two atoms of the same element or of different elements; however, only when the bonded elements are different elements in a definite proportion do you have a compound, like water (two hydrogen atoms with one oxygen atom).