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GCSE Combined Science · key term
A substance containing only one type of atom.
Used by AQA
Specification 5.1.1.1 · Paper 3
Revise: Atoms, Elements, Compounds and Chemical FormulaeAn atom is the smallest part of an element that can exist. An element is a substance containing only one type of atom: a sample of sodium contains sodium atoms, while a sample of oxygen contains oxygen atoms.
A compound must contain at least two different elements. Having several atoms does not, by itself, make a substance a compound.
Do not describe compounds as impure. A pure substance can be either an element or a compound.
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