Grade 9 Science: Mixtures, Elements, and Compounds

Vocabulary terms and definitions regarding the properties and building blocks of matter, including elements, compounds, and symbols based on the Grade 9 Agriculture and Nutrition / Integrated Science curriculum.

Matter

Anything that occupies space and has mass.

Pure substances

A category of matter that can be elements or compounds.

Mixtures

A category of matter that can be either uniform or non-uniform.

Element

A substance that cannot be decomposed into simpler substances by chemical or physical means; it is a pure substance which cannot be made simpler using chemical means.

Atoms

The basic units that make up an element, which are identical for the same element.

Compound

A pure substance that consists of atoms of two or more elements that are chemically joined together.

Sodium chloride

A compound formed when the elements sodium and chlorine combine chemically.

Symbol

A sort -hand notation for the chemical name of an element, usually derived from the first letter of the English name or the Latin name.

Chemical formula

The representation used by scientists to denote a compound.