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Chapter 1: Problem 28

What is an element? How many elements are known today?

Short Answer

Expert verified
An element is a pure substance consisting of only one type of atom and cannot be broken down into simpler substances by ordinary chemical means. As of September 2021, there are 118 known elements in the periodic table, which are categorized into groups based on their properties.

Step by step solution

01

Define an element

An element is a pure substance consisting of only one type of atom, which cannot be broken down into simpler substances by any ordinary chemical means. Each element is defined by its unique atomic number, which represents the number of protons present in the nucleus of its atom.
02

Find the current number of known elements

As of September 2021, there are 118 known elements in the periodic table. These elements are categorized into various groups based on their properties, and more elements may be discovered or synthesized in the future.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

True or false? A compound is a pure substance, but a pure substance need not be a compound. Give examples to prove your answer.

Fog is a suspension of tiny droplets of water in air. Is fog a heterogeneous mixture or a homogeneous mixture? Explain.

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