Chemical substance facts for kids

Water and steam are two different forms of the same chemical substance.

A chemical substance is a type of material that always has the same makeup and properties. Think of water: it's always made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, no matter where it comes from. It acts the same whether it's from a river or made in a lab. Common chemical substances you might know are water, salt (which is called sodium chloride), and bleach. Most substances can be a solid, a liquid, or a gas. They can change between these forms if the temperature or pressure changes.

What are Chemical Elements?

Native sulfur crystals. Sulfur is a natural element found in different forms.

An element is a basic chemical substance. It's made of only one type of atom. You can't break an element down into simpler elements using normal chemical reactions. This is because all the atoms in an element have the same number of tiny particles called protons. Even if they have different numbers of neutrons (these are called isotopes), they are still the same element.

As of 2012, scientists have found 118 different elements. About 80 of these elements are stable. This means they don't change into other elements over time through something called radioactive decay.

Gallery of Substances

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  Gray silicon powder, an element. All the other ones are chemical compounds.

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  White sodium chloride

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  Pink hydrated (with water) manganese(II) chloride

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  Brown manganese(II) carbonate

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  Black copper(II) oxide

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  Red hydrated (with water) cobalt(II) chloride

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  Orange potassium dichromate

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  Yellow sodium chromate

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  Green hydrated (with water) copper(II) chloride

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  Blue hydrated (with water) copper(II) sulfate

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  Purple anhydrous (without water) chromium(III) chloride

More Images of Chemical Substances

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  Colors of a single chemical (Nile red) in different liquids. This shows how the chemical changes with its surroundings.

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  Potassium ferricyanide is a compound of potassium, iron, carbon, and nitrogen. It is not harmful.

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  Cranberry glass looks like one thing. But it's actually a mixture of glass and tiny gold particles. These particles make it red.

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  Chemicals in measuring tools.

See also

In Spanish: Sustancia química para niños