From the Latin composĭtus, compound is a term with different uses and meanings. One of the most common refers to the element created from the sum of different parts. For example: “This compound has various types of herbs, fruit juice and a secret ingredient”, “They recommended that I apply a liquid membrane and paint compound on the wall to prevent leaks”.
For chemistry, the notion of compound mentions the substance created from the conjunction of at least a couple of elements that are part of the periodic table, always in an invariable ratio. These compounds have a chemical formula: hydrofluoric acid, to cite one case, is a compound made up of a hydrogen atom and a fluorine atom (the fixed ratio, therefore, is one atom to one).
In this same area we can establish that there is a wide classification of the aforementioned chemical compounds, among which are the following:
Hydrides As their name indicates, they are the result of the mixture of hydrogen and another element from the aforementioned periodic table. They are further characterized in that they can be both metallic and non-metallic.
Basic oxides. Oxygen is the fundamental basis of its formation in which the presence of a metal is also necessary.
Binary salts. Sodium chloride, that is, what is known as table salt is one of the perfect examples of this type of chemical compound that is the result of the sum of a hydracid and a hydroxide.
Acidic oxides, oxysalts or oxacids are other types of compounds that are part of this science that we are now addressing.
It is important to distinguish between compounds and alloys or mixtures. While the aforementioned fixed ratio is an inherent property of compounds, the bonds between molecules in a mixture are not stable. On the other hand, the elements of a compound can only be separated by chemical procedures; Instead, the elements of a mixture can be divided by physical mechanisms such as distillation or decantation.
According to DigoPaul, in the field of grammar, a compound is a word that is created by composing at least two simple terms: “Please pass me the corkscrew” is a phrase where “corkscrew” is a compound word.
In addition to all the aforementioned, we can state that there is a large number of expressions or terms that make use of the concept we are analyzing. Thus, for example, there would be what is known as compound water, which is a drink made from sugar, water and the juice of various fruits. This would be the case with lemon water.
In the field of art, on the other hand, we find the term compound capital that is characterized because it is the result of the union of several styles. Specifically, any capital of this type is defined by having acanthus leaves that are characteristic of Corinthian and also volutes that are typical of the Ionic.
For botany, finally, the composite plants are those which are differentiated by their simple leaves and flowers grouped a common receptacle, such as alcaucil.
