7.

ELEMENTS AND
COMPOUNDS
7.1 Atoms
What are atoms?
• Over 2000 years ago a
Greek philosopher called
Democritus suggested
everything was made up of
tiny pieces.

• Democritus called this

tiny pieces of matter
”atoms”.

• ”Atom” means cannot be

divided.
Different Kinds of Atoms
• Scientist have discovered 94 different kinds of atoms that occur
naturally in the Universe.

• Another 24 kinds of atoms have been made in the laboratories.

• Some substances are made up of just a single kind of atom. A

substance that is made of just one kind of atom is called an
“element”.
Different Kinds of Atoms
• For example, carbon is made only of carbon atoms. Gold, is made
only of gold atoms. Silver is only of silver atoms.

• Carbon, gold and silver are examples of elements. Each type of atom
has different properties. This is why different elements have
different properties.
Atoms Joining Together
• Some substances are made up
of individual atoms.

• Other substances are made up

of little groups of atoms. The
atoms are joined together in
groups of two or more.

• A group of atoms joined tightly

together is called a ”molecule”.
Atoms Joining Together
• For example, in oxygen, the
atoms join together in pairs.
A molecule of oxygen is made
from two atoms of oxygen
joined together.

• Sulfur molecules are made of

eight sulfur atoms joined
together. They can be joined
in slightly different ways.
7.2 Atoms and
Elements
Chemical Symbols
• Chemists use a shorthand way of referring to elements. They have
given each element a symbol.
Chemical Symbols
• Chemists use a shorthand way of
referring to elements. They have
given each element a symbol.

• Sometimes the symbol is the first

letter of the English name of the
element.

• For example, the symbol for

oxygen is O.
Chemical Symbols
• Sometimes, the symbol is the first
letter of the English name of the
element plus another letter from
its name.

• For example, the symbol for

helium is He.
Chemical Symbols
• Sometimes, the symbol is taken
from the name of the element in
another language.

• For example, the symbol for

sodium is Na, from the old Latin
name “natrium”.
Chemical Symbols
• The first letter of the symbol is
always upper case. The second
letter, if there is one, is always
lower case.
Name the Elements with these Symbols

•F

• Na

• Be

•P
Name the Elements with these Symbols

•H

• Na

• Be

•P

• Si
Elements on Earth
• Some elements, such as copper
and gold, have been known for
thousands of years.

• Others, such as radium and

aluminium, have only been
discovered more recently.
Elements on Earth
• Some elements are very
abundant (common) n Earth,
and some are rare.

• The pie chart shows the

approximate proportions of
the various elements that are
found in Earth’s crust.
Is water an element?
• People believed that water was element until about 1800. It was
only then that a scientists pass electricity through water and found
that it split up into two gases - hydrogen and oxygen
Workbook
• Exercise 7.1 Atoms, pg. 60-61