The process by which such combinations and transformations of elements into compounds take place is called a chemical reaction.

Similarly, hydrogen and oxygen, which are both gaseous elements can combine to form water, which is a liquid compound, not a gas, at room temperature. Unlike its constituent elements, salt is highly stable, harmless to humans and even edible.

This compound, which is the basis of matter, may not resemble any of the original ingredients.įor example, sodium and chlorine, two highly poisonous elements that are unstable at room temperatures, combine to form one of the most common and harmless compounds known to man called common salt (sodium chloride, or NaCl). There are more than 100 different kinds of atoms listed in the periodic table, with each kind constituting a unique chemical element.Ītoms and/or molecules in two or more elements can join together to form a compound. Large groups of atoms and molecules form the bulk matter of day-to-day life in the physical world. Leptons - groups of subatomic particles that respond to weaker forces - belong to a class of elementary particles that includes electrons.Ītoms are the building blocks of matter. Quarks - groups of subatomic particles that interact by means of a strong force - combine into protons and neutrons.

Matter explained: Atoms, molecules, elements and compoundsįundamentally, matter is composed of elementary particles called quarks and leptons, both of which are considered elementary particles in that they aren't made up of smaller units of matter. Combinations of these particles form atoms. The most familiar examples of material particles are the electron, the proton and the neutron. According to the principles of modern physics, the various types of particles each have a specific mass and size. Matter is a substance made up of various types of particles that occupies physical space and has inertia.

What is matter in chemistry