Matter can be classified into two broad categories: pure substances and mixtures. ... A material composed of two or more substances is a mixture. Elements and compounds are both examples of pure substances. A substance that cannot be broken down into chemically simpler components is an elementOne useful way of organizing our understanding of matter is to think of a hierarchy that extends down from the most general and complex to the simplest and most fundamental (Figure 3.4.1 ). Matter can be classified into two broad categories: pure substances and mixtures. A pure substance is a form of matter that has a constant composition (meaning that it is the same everywhere) and properties that are constant throughout the sample (meaning that there is only one set of properties such as melting point, color, boiling point, etc. throughout the matter). A material composed of two or more substances is a mixture. Elements and compounds are both examples of pure substances. A substance that cannot be broken down into chemically simpler components is an element. Aluminum, which is used in soda cans, is an element. A substance that can be broken down into chemically simpler components (because it has more than one element) is a compound. For example, water is a compound composed of the elements hydrogen and oxygen. Today, there are about 118 elements in the known universe. In contrast, scientists have identified tens of millions of different compounds to date.
