Which example represents an element?

Which example represents an element?

• A. Water
• B. Salt
• C. Gold
• D. Air

Answer: (C)

An element is a pure substance made of only one kind of atom and cannot be broken down into simpler substances by ordinary chemical means. Gold fits this description because it is made entirely of gold atoms with the same atomic number, so it’s not formed from different elements. In contrast, water is a compound made from hydrogen and oxygen; salt is sodium chloride, a compound of two elements; air is a mixture of several gases. Therefore, gold is the example that represents an element.

An element is a pure substance made of only one kind of atom and cannot be broken down into simpler substances by ordinary chemical means. Gold fits this description because it is made entirely of gold atoms with the same atomic number, so it’s not formed from different elements. In contrast, water is a compound made from hydrogen and oxygen; salt is sodium chloride, a compound of two elements; air is a mixture of several gases. Therefore, gold is the example that represents an element.