Steer madly for compound (5)
I believe the answer is:
ester
'compound' is the definition.
(ester is a kind of compound)
'steer madly' is the wordplay.
'madly' indicates anagramming the letters.
'steer' is an anagram of 'ESTER'.
'for' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for ester that I've seen before include "Organic compound, rhymes with court joker" , "Chemical compound of acid and alcohol, found in trees" , "Compound; trees (anag.)" , "Organic chemical compound" , "Compound formed from acid and alcohol" .)