chemical element
/kɛmɪkəl ˈɛljəmənt/ · chem·i·cal ˈel·e·ment
noun
- Any one of the simplest chemical substances that cannot be decomposed in a chemical reaction. Hydrogen is a chemical element with the atomic number 1.
- Chemical elements consist of atoms which have the same number of protons. The number of protons in an atom determines the chemical element it represents.
Synonyms
Did you know? The discovery of new chemical elements has led to numerous Nobel Prizes in Chemistry, with the most recent being the discovery of four new elements in 2016.