
Chemistry | Definition, Topics, Types, History, & Facts | Britannica
Feb 3, 2026 · Cooking, fermentation, glass making, and metallurgy are all chemical processes that date from the beginnings of civilization. Today, vinyl, Teflon, liquid crystals, semiconductors, and …
Chemical compound | Definition, Examples, & Types | Britannica
Feb 10, 2026 · All the matter in the universe is composed of the atoms of more than 100 different chemical elements, which are found both in pure form and combined in chemical compounds.
Chemical element | Definition, Origins, Distribution, & Facts | Britannica
5 days ago · A chemical element is any substance that cannot be decomposed into simpler substances by ordinary chemical processes. Elements are the fundamental materials of which all matter is …
Chemical Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary
CHEMICAL meaning: 1 : of or relating to chemistry; 2 : working by means of chemicals
Interactive Periodic Table of the Elements | Symbols, Atomic Weights ...
The rate at which chemical knowledge continues to accumulate is remarkable. Over time more than 8,000,000 different chemical substances, both natural and artificial, have been characterized and …
Chemical formula | Definition, Types, Examples, & Facts | Britannica
Chemical formula, any of several kinds of expressions of the composition or structure of chemical compounds. The forms commonly encountered are empirical, molecular, structural, and projection …
Chemical synthesis | Organic & Inorganic Reactions | Britannica
Chemical compounds are made up of atoms of different elements, joined together by chemical bonds. A chemical synthesis usually involves the breaking of existing bonds and the formation of new ones.
Water | Definition, Chemical Formula, Structure, Molecule, & Facts ...
Feb 6, 2026 · This article describes the molecular structure of water as well as its physical and chemical properties. For other major treatments of water, see climate; environmental works; hydrosphere; ice; …
Sodium | Facts, Uses, & Properties | Britannica
Feb 9, 2026 · sodium (Na), chemical element of the alkali metal group (Group 1 [Ia]) of the periodic table. Sodium is a very soft silvery-white metal. Sodium is the most common alkali metal and the …
Chemical compound - Elements, Molecules, Reactions | Britannica
Feb 10, 2026 · Chemical compound - Elements, Molecules, Reactions: Chemical compounds may be classified according to several different criteria. One common method is based on the specific …