Compounds: Examples of Compounds

Chemical compounds are substances that are made up of two or more different chemical elements. There are millions of known compounds with a combination of various elements that exist in nature. The elements are held together by chemical bonds, in a fixed ratio to form a specific chemical compound. The composition or the ratio in which the elements are present in the compound plays a key role in determining the properties of the compound. The compounds are named according to the rules decided by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).

Chemical Formula

The various known compounds in science are represented by using a chemical formula. The chemical formula of a particular compound is derived on the basis of its chemical constituents and the ratio in which they are present. It tells us the number of atoms of constituent elements that make up a molecule of that compound. The chemical formula, thus, helps us to determine what are compounds made up of.

For example, water is represented as H₂O, which means, one molecule of water is made up of two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen.

Classification of Chemical Compounds

Compounds in chemistry are divided into two main categories, based on the forces used to bind them together. They are as follows:

Ionic Compounds
Ionic compounds are those which are formed when two or more atoms are held together by ionic bonds. There exists attractive forces between the positive and negative ions of the atoms, which keep them attached together. Ionic compounds are formed between metals and non metals. The metal ion is usually positively charged and the non metal ion has a negative charge. Examples of compounds with ionic bonds:

• Sodium chloride
• Aluminum oxide
• Sodium oxide
• Potassium chloride
• Calcium chloride
• Silver chloride
• Silver nitrate
• Aluminum sulfide
• Calcium sulfate
• Potassium fluoride
• Cobalt chloride
• Mercurous chloride
• Potassium iodide
• Calcium Nitrate
• Sodium hydroxide
• Ammonium sulfate
• Ammonium fluoride
• Calcium carbonate
• Sodium bicarbonate

Covalent Compounds
Compounds that are composed of atoms joined by covalent bonds are known as covalent compounds. They are also known as molecular compounds as the basic unit of a covalent compound is the molecule. Examples of compounds with covalent bonds:

• Sulfur dioxide
• Sulfur trioxide
• Nitrogen monoxide
• Nitrogen dioxide
• Dinitrogen pentoxide
• Carbon monoxide
• Carbon tetrafluoride
• Nitrogen trifluoride
• Oxygen difluoride
• Dinitrogen tetroxide

Some examples of binary covalent compounds, that are known by their common names and not by their constituent elements, are as follows:

• Water
• Methane
• Ammonia
• Hydrazine
• Phosphine
• Silane

Organic Compounds
Compounds whose molecules contain carbon, come under this class of chemical compounds. These compounds contain chains of varying size and shape, as carbon atoms can bond to one other easily. Other atoms, like that of hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen, may be attached to these organic compounds. Compounds containing only carbon and hydrogen are known as hydrocarbons. Some hydrocarbon compounds examples are:

• Methane
• Ethane
• Propane
• Butane
• Pentane
• Hexane
• Heptane
• Octane
• Nonane
• Decane

Examples of other organic compounds include:

• Alkanes
• Alcohols
• Aldehydes
• Amines
• Imines
• Esters
• Acetic anhydrides
• Phenols
• Amides
• Ketones
• Ethers
• Furans
• Azides
• Halogen compounds
• Nitro compounds
• Organometallic compounds
• Alkaloids
• Terpenoids
• Cyanides
• Pyridine
• Pyrimidines
• Purines

These were some examples of compounds in chemistry. There are millions of chemical compounds known so far and hence, it is a difficult task to list all of them here. However, most of the common compounds examples mentioned above have wide applications in different areas.