What are chemical compounds?
Chemical compounds represent a substance that consists of two or more bonded elements. The elements bond in a fixed ratio to create a particular chemical compound. The ratio and the types of elements determine the physical and chemical properties for the compound. By combining to form compounds, elements become more stable. Chemists represent chemical compounds using a variety of formulas that describes the types of elements in the compound. For example, in a molecular formula, the elements that make up the chemical compound are listed, including the ratio in which each element appears. “Na,” which is the elemental symbol for sodium, and “Cl,” which is the elemental symbol for chlorine, combine for the chemical compound “NaCl,” which is short for sodium chloride, or table salt. More complex compounds require a more complex formula. For example, water is represented by H2O, meaning two parts hydrogen per one part oxygen. Other formulas reveal some of the structural information for the c
