Home > Encyclopedia of Science > Element, Chemical

• Words to Know
• Natural and synthetic elements
• Two Dozen Common and Important Chemical Elements
• Classifying elements
• Properties of the elements
• A Who's Who of the Elements
• Historical background
• Formation of the Elements

A chemical element can be defined in one of two ways: experimentally or theoretically. Experimentally, an element is any substance that cannot be broken down into any simpler substance. Imagine that you are given a piece of pure iron and asked to break it down using any device or method ever invented by chemists. Nothing you can do will ever change the...