What's the difference between molecule and compound?

Question

vincent-lyon.fr · Answer

What do YOU think? 
Do you have examples of molecules and of compounds?

anonymous · Answer

water molecule
ionic compound

at first i thought molecule was covalent and compound ionic. But then I heard that molecule is a compound with two or more elements and compound is only one element? But NaCl is a compound with two elements. So now I'm really confused,

vincent-lyon.fr · Answer

Compound is any type of substance (NaCl ; Fe ; H2O)
Molecules are compounds with covalent bonds (H2O ; NH3 ; CH4...)

anonymous · Answer

So even if there aren't any bonds it's a compound? Like your example in iron. An iron atom is a compound?

anonymous · Answer

this vincent guy never answers questions thoroughly...

vincent-lyon.fr · Answer

For me Fe, O2 are compounds, but they might use a different definition in the English-speaking world.

Fe represents solid iron. There are metallic bonds between the atoms that make it into a solid, not just any group of independent atoms.

anonymous · Answer

Ok thanks :)

vincent-lyon.fr · Answer

What definition of 'element' do you use in class?

The world is divided into two groups having different definitions. Even former Eastern and Western Germany used different definitions!