Element Chemistry Example 1

Follow the full solution, then compare it with the other examples linked below.

Example 1

easy
Explain why gold (Au) and oxygen (O) are considered elements, while water (H2O\text{H}_2\text{O}) is not.

Solution

  1. 1
    An element is a pure substance made of only one type of atom.
  2. 2
    Gold contains only gold atoms and oxygen contains only oxygen atoms, so both are elements.
  3. 3
    Water contains two different types of atoms (hydrogen and oxygen) chemically bonded, making it a compound, not an element.

Answer

Elements contain only one type of atom; compounds contain two or more.\text{Elements contain only one type of atom; compounds contain two or more.}
Elements are the simplest pure substances and cannot be broken down into simpler substances by chemical means. There are currently 118 known elements organized in the periodic table.

About Element

A pure substance consisting entirely of atoms with the same number of protons (same atomic number), which cannot be broken down into simpler substances by.

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More Element Examples

Example 2 medium

Iron (Fe) has atomic number 26. How many protons and electrons does a neutral iron atom have? If iro

Example 3 easy

Classify each as an element or compound: (a) [formula], (b) [formula], (c) [formula], (d) [formula].

Example 4 medium

Sample A has atoms with 8 protons and 8 electrons. Sample B has atoms with 8 protons and 10 electron

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