Stanton D. answered • 05/07/21
Tutor to Pique Your Sciences Interest
HI Londyn W.,
No and yes respectively. A compound means something where the atoms are chemically bonded. You don't ever get that apart physically, you can't get a grip on them to do it!
But a mixture-- you have at least two separate "things", be they elements, compounds, chunks of different colored erasers, whatever -- which are NOT connected to each other chemically. So you can separate them physically by appropriate means, and they can be in any proportions to each other as a mixture.
One other thing you should appreciate about chemistry. If you bash two metal chairs together really hard, they may end up stuck firmly to each other. You put energy INTO them to do this, they gained energy (Probably as heat), and you might say that they are firmly bonded physically. But when you bond two atoms (or more) chemically, they RELEASE energy as they bond. This energy is lost to the surroundings, and the bonded atoms together have LESS energy than they did previously. They LOST energy to stick together, and unless you persuade them by inputting heat and presenting them with other bonding possibilities, they will STAY bonded together, forever. This occasionally leads to confusion -- a STRONG bond is one in which the atoms are very tightly stuck together, but a "High-energy" bond is one in which the atoms are lightly stuck together, and can be relatively easily broken apart. Your body utilizes such a bond in ATP; the third phosphate comes off easily, and the total energy release of the hydrolysis can be enzymatically harnessed to perform essentially ALL the reactions your body uses to function! -- Cheers, -- Mr. d.
