The key difference between atoms and elements is that the atoms are the smallest units that build up all matter whereas an element is a species of atoms that includes the atoms that share the same chemical and physical properties.
Anything that we see and feel around us is called matter. This matter, consisting of both human beings and animals, along with plants and non-living things such as water and rocks, is made up of very small particles that are we consider as the building blocks of a matter. A chemical element describes a species of atoms.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are Atoms
3. What are Elements
4. Side by Side Comparison – Atoms vs Elements in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What are Atoms?
An atom is the smallest repeating unit that makes up all matter. An atom is extremely small, and its size is around 100 pm. The mass of atoms centres to the atomic nucleus which contains protons and neutrons. Also, there is an electron cloud that surrounds this nucleus. Therefore, protons, neutrons and electrons are subatomic particles of an atom.
Figure 01: Helium Atom
Usually, the number of protons in the nucleus equals the number of electrons and neutrons. However, there are some atoms which have the same number of protons but has different numbers of neutrons. We name them as isotopes of a chemical element (because if the atoms have the same number of protons, it indicates that the atoms belong to the same chemical element). Furthermore, the sum of the masses of protons and neutrons determines the mass of the atom (the mass of an electron is negligible compared to protons and neutrons).
What are Elements?
A chemical element is a species of atoms. Thus, atoms have the chemical and physical properties of its particular chemical element. Hence, the atoms of the same chemical element share the same chemical and physical properties. Especially, these atoms have the same number of protons in their atomic nucleus. But, the number of neutrons can be equal or different. If the number of neutrons is different from one atom to another, we name them as isotopes of the chemical element.
For instance, the oxygen atom has 8 protons in its nucleus. Therefore, an atom should have 8 protons if we are to name it as oxygen. Then, all the atoms of the chemical element oxygen have 8 protons in its nucleus.
Figure 02: Periodic Table of Elements
Besides, all the chemical elements are listed in the periodic table of elements. It has 118 known chemical elements. Among them, 94 are naturally occurring elements. Other 24 are synthetic ones. Moreover, there are 80 elements which have at least one stable isotope. Likewise, the periodic table of elements has arranged the chemical elements in the ascending order of atomic number (the number of protons in the nucleus). There are periodic trends of chemical and physical properties of these elements.
What is the Difference Between Atoms and Elements?
All matter contains atoms. Furthermore, atoms having the same number of protons in their atomic nucleus belongs to the same chemical species; the chemical element. Hence, the key difference between atoms and elements is that the atoms are the smallest units that build up all matter whereas an element is a species of atoms that includes the atoms which share the same chemical and physical properties. Moreover, an individual atom can have either equal or different numbers of protons and neutrons in their nucleus. But the atoms of the same chemical element have equal numbers of protons and neutrons. However, if the numbers are different, we name them as isotopes of that chemical element.
The below infographic summarizes the difference between atoms and elements in tabular form.
Summary – Atoms vs Elements
All matter is made up of tiny particles called atoms. Elements are chemical species that consists of a single type of atoms. Hence, every single atom of an element retains the properties of that element and is the smallest unit of that element having the same properties. Therefore, the key difference between atoms and elements is that the atoms are the smallest units that build up all matter whereas an element is a species of atoms that includes the atoms which share the same chemical and physical properties.
Reference:
1. “Chemical Element.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Oct. 2018. Available here
2. “Atom.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Oct. 2018. Available here
Image Courtesy:
1.”Atom”By Svdmolen/Jeanot (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2.”Simple Periodic Table Chart-en”By Offnfopt – Own work, (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia