Types of Chemical Compound

Chemical compounds can be broadly categorized into several types based on their composition and bonding characteristics. They are:

Chemical compounds

Definition

Examples

Ionic Compounds

These compounds are formed by the transfer of electrons from one atom to another, which result in the formation of positively and negatively charged ions.

  • Sodium chloride (NaCl)
  • Calcium carbonate (CaCO3).

Covalent Compound

These compounds are formed by the sharing of electrons between two different or same atoms. These compounds mostly consist of nonmetals.

  • Water (H2O)
  • Methane (CH4)

Organic Compounds

These compounds contain carbon atoms bonded to hydrogen atoms, along with other elements such as oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and halogens. These compounds are essential to life.

Carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids.

Inorganic Compounds

These compounds typically lack carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bonds.

salts, metals, minerals, and simple oxides.

Metallic Compounds

These compounds are characterized by the presence of metal atoms held together by metallic bonds. They often have high thermal and electrical conductivity

Alloys such as brass (copper and zinc) and steel (iron and carbon)

Acids and Bases

Acids are compounds that release hydrogen ions (H+) in solution, while bases are compounds that release hydroxide ions (OH-) in solution.

  • Hydrochloric acid (HCl)
  • Sodium hydroxide (NaOH)

Coordination Compounds

Any of a class of substances with chemical structures in which a central metal atom is surrounded by nonmetal atoms or groups of atoms, called ligands, joined to it by chemical bonds.

Vitamin B12, Hemoglobin, Chlorophyll, Dyes, Pigments and Catalysts

Hydrates

These compounds contain water molecules that are loosely bound to the main compound through hydrogen bonds

copper sulfate pentahydrate (CuSO4·5H2O)

Organometallic Compounds

These compounds contain at least one metal to carbon atom in which carbon is part of an organic group.

  • Grignard Reagent
  • Triethylborane

Polymeric Compounds

These compounds are composed of repeating structural units called monomers.

Plastics, rubbers, and some types of fibers.

Chemical Compound

Chemical Compounds in chemistry are pure form of matter which are formed by combination of two or more elements in a fixed ratio. They are different from the mixture in which the constituent particles are combined in any ratio. For example, sugar solution is a mixture but water is a chemical compound. This is because in sugar solution water and sugar can combine in any ratio to form solution but to form water i.e. H2O, hydrogen and oxygen have to always combine in fix ratio i.e. 2:1.

In this article, we will learn in detail about what is chemical compounds, their example, types, bonding, some of commonly used chemical compound and how are they different from molecules and elements.

Table of Content

  • What are Chemical Compounds?
  • Types of Chemical Compound
  • Bonding in Chemical Compounds
  • Chemical Compound List
  • Element vs Chemical Compounds
  • Difference between Molecules and Compounds

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