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Multiple Choice

What term describes a substance made of two or more elements chemically combined?

Substances formed when two or more elements are chemically bound together are compounds. They have a definite composition and properties different from their constituent elements, with bonds holding the elements in fixed ratios (for example, water, H2O, or table salt, NaCl). A molecule is simply two or more atoms bonded together; it can be a molecule of a single element (like O2) or of different elements, but the description here specifically points to compounds. An ion is a charged particle, not about combining elements into a neutral substance, and an element is a pure substance consisting of one kind of atom. So the term described is compound.

Substances formed when two or more elements are chemically bound together are compounds. They have a definite composition and properties different from their constituent elements, with bonds holding the elements in fixed ratios (for example, water, H2O, or table salt, NaCl). A molecule is simply two or more atoms bonded together; it can be a molecule of a single element (like O2) or of different elements, but the description here specifically points to compounds. An ion is a charged particle, not about combining elements into a neutral substance, and an element is a pure substance consisting of one kind of atom. So the term described is compound.