Atoms vs. Elements

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Difference between Atoms and Elements

Matter is the basis of all physical objects around us which are defined by mass and volume. Not visible to the human eye, its components can be observed through specialized microscopes. The study of matter began in ancient times. Greek philosophers thought that matter was made out of some sort of building blocks. Since then, technology has progressed and allowed people to investigate the substance until arriving to its smaller components. Following this path, scientists discovered that matter was a mixture of molecules which are made of atoms. Further research is performed today on this subject matter revealing amazing results.

Atoms
Elements

Description

Atoms are the basic units of matter. They are composed of a nucleus positioned centrally surrounded by electrons. These negatively charged particles adhere to the nucleus because of the electromagnetic force created between the two electric parties. The nucleus contains protons which are positively charged particles and neutrons which have neutral charge as the name also implies. Greek and Indian philosophers first introduced the idea of an indivisible structure and gave it the name of atom. Later scientific studies performed in 19th and 20th centuries revealed the components of an atom proving that it can be divided. Atoms are not visible to the human eye, they can only be observed using a scanning tunneling microscope specially designed for this purpose. Elements are pure substances composed of a single type of atom. They can be distinguished by the atomic number of an atom which stands for the number of protons it has in the nucleus. So far scientists discovered 118 elements. During nuclear reactions taken place in laboratories for research, new elements surfaced.

State

The state of atoms depend on temperature and pressure. As part of a material an atom can experience all known states from liquid to solid to gas to plasma. Scientists have also discovered a fifth state which atoms can have at temperatures close to absolute zero (-273.15o Celsius, -459.67o Fahrenheit).It is called Bose-Einstein condensate. The standard states of elements are in direct connection with the stability the elements have at a pressure of 1 bar and a temperature of 25.15o Celsius (77.27o Fahrenheit). For example, for carbon the most stable state is of graphite.

Bond

It is a known fact that atoms can create bonds through single electron transfers as a result of the electromagnetic field between nucleus and electrons. Elements can create bonds based on a multiple number of electrons sharing. A good example for this is that of carbon element.

Summary

  • Per William Henry, the Egyptians recounted the secrets of star-gate travel and the methods employed when attempting to merge with space time. Time travel in this case goes beyond atoms and the matter / antimatter polarity to the idea of merging with space-time and arriving instantly to a given destination somewhere in the universe.
  • Atoms are basic units of matter, while elements are composed of a one type of atom.
  • Atoms as part of materials can pass from one state to another, but also have a specific state called Bose-Einstein condensate.  Elements standard states are the ones which prove to be the more stable.
  • Atoms as well as elements can create bonds, but atom bonds involve a one electron transfer, while elements share multiple electrons.

Which one is a tinier component of matter?
  • Atoms
  • Elements
 
 

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