An atom is the smallest part of an element which retains the same properties of that element. It is the smallest subdivision of the element which can take part in a chemical reaction. Even if you heat a piece of silver (an element), the smallest piece of the element or the atom will remain unaffected. Whatever is the state of the element; solid, liquid or gaseous, the atom will remain the same in each state. An element cannot be broken down by chemical techniques.
A compound is the result of a chemical combination of two or more different atoms. One must note that a compound is a chemical combination which requires elements to react with each other 'chemically' in a fixed proportion. A compound can be broken down into simpler compounds or into elements. The molecule is the smallest part of the compound that retains the chemical properties of that particular compound. For example, water is a compound, where one molecule of water is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom formed through a chemical reaction called electrolysis. Also, the properties which a compound has can be quite different from that of its elements. For example at a room temperature, water can be liquid but hydrogen and oxygen occur in gaseous states.
A compound is the result of a chemical combination of two or more different atoms. One must note that a compound is a chemical combination which requires elements to react with each other 'chemically' in a fixed proportion. A compound can be broken down into simpler compounds or into elements. The molecule is the smallest part of the compound that retains the chemical properties of that particular compound. For example, water is a compound, where one molecule of water is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom formed through a chemical reaction called electrolysis. Also, the properties which a compound has can be quite different from that of its elements. For example at a room temperature, water can be liquid but hydrogen and oxygen occur in gaseous states.
