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Chemistry Forums for Students => High School Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: Exploring on December 14, 2015, 05:50:58 AM

Title: compound and subtances
Post by: Exploring on December 14, 2015, 05:50:58 AM

What is de difference between compound and substance?
Is there any official definition?, for instance if I want to say “the solubility data of organic/inorganic/polymeric  compounds can be found.. wherever”, or is it better to use substance?
Can these words be used  indistinctly? is there any difference if they are solids or solutions?
It is very confusing for me
Thanks al lot for the help.

Title: Re: compound and subtances
Post by: kriggy on December 14, 2015, 06:11:57 AM

I think substance can be made of several compounds

Title: Re: compound and subtances
Post by: Exploring on December 14, 2015, 06:25:11 AM

I´ve read that compounds are substances that contain atoms of at least two elements chemically combined,  but not sure about how accurate is the source..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_gateway_pre_2011/periodictable/fundamentalrev1.shtml

Title: Re: compound and subtances
Post by: Borek on December 14, 2015, 10:52:59 AM

http://goldbook.iupac.org/C01039.html

Strangely, looks like there is no precise IUPAC definition of what a compound is, there are only specific definitions for different kinds of compounds. But perhaps I am missing something.