chemical compound
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A chemical compound is a pure substance made up of two or more different chemical elements that are chemically bonded together. Understanding compounds matters because they form the basis of everything around us—from the water we drink to the materials we use in medicine and technology.
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A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one element is therefore not a compound. A compound can be transformed into a different substance by a chemical reaction, which may involve interactions with other substances. In this process, bonds between atoms may be broken or new bonds formed or both.
There are four major types of compounds, distinguished by how the constituent atoms are bonded together. Molecular compounds are held together by covalent bonds, ionic compounds are held together by ionic bonds, intermetallic compounds are held together by metallic bonds, and coordination complexes are held together by coordinate covalent bonds. Non-stoichiometric compounds form a disputed marginal case.