Why is oxygen an element?

Why is oxygen gas two oxygen atoms bonded together an element not a compound?

  • Answer:

    Because a compound is formed by bonding of two or more atoms of "different" elements. These atoms may joined by covalent bonding, and the resulting compound is known as covalent compound( like HCl, CO2, H2O...etc.) Similarly ionic bonding results in the formation of ionic compound (like NaCl, KCl) and coordinate bonding results in the formation of coordinate compounds (like LiAlH4) Whereas the Oxygen is concerned it exists in O2 which is a molecule and not a compound as molecule is formed by bonding of two or more atoms of the "same" element (like P4, S8.. etc) Molecules have covalent bonding only.

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