A compound is a type of material formed by the interaction of two distinct chemical elements in such a manner that the atoms and molecules of the various elements are locked together via chemical bonds which are hard to break. Such bonds are formed based on electron sharing or exchange between atoms. A molecule is a compound’s smallest non-breakable unit.

Often, a compound does not resemble the elements which make it up. Take Oxygen and Hydrogen, for instance. Each of these components is gases at standard atmospheric pressure as well as at room temperature. However, once they combine together to form the well-known compound called water, every molecule of which includes a single oxygen atom and double hydrogen atoms (H2O), the resulting material is a liquid at standard atmospheric conditions pressure and room temperature.

What is a chemical compound?

• A chemical compound is a material formed by the chemical bonding of at least two or more components.
• A substance can be defined as something that has a particular chemical composition plus qualities and is composed of elements which are combined with each other or the same components. Every compound is a substance, however, not all substances can be considered as compounds, because pure elements constitute chemical substances as well.
• In response, a chemical compound can be characterized as a pure material containing just one sort of atom. Each atom inside an element contains the exact same protons in the nucleus.
• Elements combine to make a compound. A compound is formed when at least two or more elements are kept there by a chemical bonding. 
• For example, the reaction of sodium with chlorine leads to the production of sodium chloride, also known as table salt. 
• As a result, a material made up of only a single sort of element cannot be considered as a chemical compound, but rather an allotrope. A diamond, for instance, can be said as a pure element composed of carbon molecules organised inside a crystal.

Characteristics of Chemical Compounds

• Chemical compounds exhibit a dizzying number of properties. A few are liquids, many are solids, and yet others are gaseous at normal pressure and temperature. 
• The shades of the different compounds range from red to blue to yellow to orange. 
• Some substances are extremely hazardous to humans, whilst others are required for survival. 
• A subtle change in the toxicity, odour, or colour of a chemical may be caused by the replacement of a single atom inside one compound. Classification systems are created to understand this enormous variety.

Types of Chemical Compounds

Compounds are classified into four kinds based on how the component atoms are bonded together:

• Molecules – 

• A molecule is basically a collection of at least two or more atoms linked together via chemical bonds. 
• Molecules are often used as matter constituents. They also comprise a majority of the water bodies and air. 
• Molecules make up a large portion of organic compounds. Molecules, such as amino acids and proteins that make them up, nucleic acids (RNA and DNA), carbohydrates, glucose, lipids, vitamins, and minerals are the building blocks of life.

• Ionic Compounds – 

• Any ionic compound is a type of chemical complex made of ions kept together by electrostatic forces known as ionic bonding. 
• The chemical is generally neutral, but somehow it contains positively-charged ions known as cations as well as negatively-charged ions known as anions.
• Individual ions inside an ionic compound typically have many nearest neighbours, hence they are not regarded as molecules, but rather just the components of a three-dimensional structure. When ionic chemicals solidify, they generally form crystalline morphologies.
• Ionic compounds are often rigid and brittle, with high boiling as well as melting temperatures. 
• They are generally always electrically insulating when solids, and yet when dissolved or melted, their ions are activated, and they become extremely conductive.

• Inter-Metallic Compounds – 

• An intermetallic is a kind of metallic amalgam composed of at least two or more metal elements to create an ordered solid-state combination. Intermetallic compounds are rigid and brittle generally, having strong high-temperature characteristics. They are either stoichiometric or non-stoichiometric intermetallic complexes.

• Coordinate Complex – 
• A coordination complex is made up of a core ion or atom, that is generally metallic. It is also known as the coordination centre, with a surrounding matrix of attached molecules and ions, which are known as complexing agents.

Conclusion

All sorts of matter existing in the universe are made up of atoms of over 100 distinct chemical components, which may be detected in pure form or mixed as chemical compounds. Every pure element sample is made up of solely the constituent atoms of the element, and each element’s atoms remain distinct. For instance, the atoms that comprise carbon are distinct from the ones that constitute iron, and that is further distinguished from the ones that make up gold.