Types of Matter

Elements, Mixtures, & Compounds

Matter can be classified in many ways, including the arrangement of the atoms that make up the substance. We often refer to three types of matter as elements, mixtures, or compounds.

Elements are the most basic form of matter. They are made of specific types of atoms determined by the number of protons in the nucleus. This characteristic differentiates each element from the rest; in this way, all atoms of a specific element are the same and cannot be broken down into any other substance. For example, oxygen is made of atoms that all have 8 protons.

Different elements can combine to form the other two types of matter. When two or more elements bond, or combine chemically in a specific ratio, the resulting substance is called a compound. For example, water is considered a compound because two hydrogen atoms (H) and one oxygen atom (O) chemically combine to make a water molecule (H2O).

A mixture is a substance that consists of multiple elements or compounds that are together in the same place but are not chemically combined. For example, sand is a mixture which is made of many small pieces of different types of rock or shells. While some of these particles may have similar chemistry, they are not chemically combined with the other particles which means that each element or compound could be separated out of the mixture by physical methods rather than chemical ones.