Classifying an Element, Compound & Mixture

element

an element is a substance made up of only one type of atom - it cannot be split into anything simpler - there are 118 known elements

(e.g. oxygen, hydrogen, carbon)

compound

a pure substance made up of two or more elements chemically combined together - there are unlimited types of compounds - they cannot be seperated by physical methods of seperation

(e.g. H2O, CO2)

mixture

a mixture is a combination of two or more substances (elements and / or compounds) that are not chemically joined together - can be seperated by physical methods of seperation - the chemical properties of each substance in the mixture are unchanged

(e.g. salt water, iron fillings and flour, sand and water)

element

compound

mixture

mixture