Question

What is the difference between an atom and an element?

Answer 1

Hint: Elements are the simplest form of any substances. Elements are the purest form of a substance (made up from the same substance) as it cannot be broken into any subparts and we can observe them in the periodic table as per their atomic number. Atoms are the smallest unit in ordinary matter, from which the elements are formed.

Complete step-by-step answer:
Atoms can be considered as the smallest unit present in matter. Atoms have the same number of electrons and protons. Hence, they are chemically neutral in their natural state. There are $92\;$ different types of atoms.

Atoms can form bonds with other atoms (of the same type or different) by either sharing electrons or transfer of electrons, which constitute a molecule (A cluster of molecules is known as a compound). When atoms bond with a similar type of atoms, they form an element.

Elements can be considered the simplest and purest substances that are available in nature and can also be synthesized artificially in a laboratory. There are $118\;$ different types of elements, which are arranged in a trend of increasing atomic number in the periodic table.

We can write the difference between atoms and elements as below:

Atoms	Elements
Atom is the smallest part of an element in matter.	Element is the simplest form of matter which cannot be simplified or broken into simpler particles
Atoms combine with other atoms to form molecules.	Elements combine with other elements to form compounds.
Atoms can further be divided into subatomic particles like neutrons, protons and electrons.	Elements are composed of only one type of atom.
Atoms are tiny particles that can only be viewed with the help of a microscope.	Elements are bigger of no fixed size but can be viewed by the naked eye and possess mass
There are a total $92\;$ types of atoms.	There are a total $118\;$ types of elements.

Note: We have considered atoms as the smallest unit in ordinary matter. However, they can further be divided into positively charged nucleus and negatively electrons spinning around nucleus. The nucleus can be further split to find positively charged protons and neutral charged neutrons. The protons and neutrons are made up of quarks different types.