"element are pure substances that can't be broken down chemically into simpler kinds of matter."
what does it mean by "can't be broken down chemically into simpler kinds of matter."
thank you
Suppose you have a piece of pure aluminum. That means there is no other material(chemical if you will) in that piece of Al. You may treat Al with other chemicals that will make compounds (a compound is composed of two or more elements) BUT you can not treat pure Al (an element) with ANYTHING that will decompose it into anything else that is pure. For example we can treat AlCl3 (a compound) and decompose it into its components; i.e., into pure Al and pure chlorine. Once you get to that stage, the chlorine gas can NOT be decomposed any farther and the Al can NOT be decomposed any farther. That means they are elements. Compounds can be broken down into their component parts but elements, consisting of only "one" material, can't be broken down (decomposed) into anything else.
When it is said that an element cannot be broken down chemically into simpler kinds of matter, it means that the element itself is made up of only one type of atom and cannot be further broken down into different substances using chemical reactions.
Atoms are the building blocks of matter. Different elements have different types of atoms with unique properties. For example, oxygen is an element composed of only oxygen atoms (O). These atoms cannot be chemically broken down into simpler substances. You can think of it as an "atom indivisible" principle.
Chemical reactions involve the rearrangement of atoms to form new substances, but they cannot change the fundamental nature of an element. So, an element like oxygen cannot be decomposed into simpler kinds of matter through chemical means.
However, it's important to note that elements can still undergo physical changes, such as changes in state (e.g., solid to liquid) or the formation of compounds through chemical bonding with other elements. But the element itself remains unchanged at the atomic level.