A compound is a substance containing two or more different chemical elements bound together by a chemical bond. In covalent compounds, electrons are shared between atoms. In ionic compounds, one atom borrows an electron from another atom resulting in two ions (electrically charged atoms) of opposite polarities that then become bonded electrostatically.

A neutron is a subatomic particle found in the nucleus of an atom. It is neutral as it carries no electric charge.

A proton is a subatomic particle found in the nucleus of an atom. It carries a positive electric charge.