Why does the properties of compounds differ from its constituent elements?

Ex- water consists of two hydrogen and one oxygen atoms.Water does not support burning, oxygen supports burning and hydrogen is flammable.

Dear Student,

Compounds are formed by chemical combination of two or more elements, atoms of diffrent elements are held together and contain a fixed ratio of these elements. We can not separate a compound into constituent elements by physical means, because they possess properties of their own, which are different from those of their constituent elements.
For example, water is made up of two elements hydrogen and oxygen. While hydrogen is a highly combustible gas, oxygen gas is required for combustion. In comparison, their compound water is a liquid and is used to extinguish fire .
Similarly, the table salt (sodium chloride) is composed of sodium (A metal, highly reactive) and chlorine (A non-metal and highly poisonous). Sodium chloride is an ionic compound, is very safe and is used in our food as table salt everyday. Therefore, a compound generally will have properties distinct from its constituent parts.

Regards

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