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  1. Chemistry | Definition, Topics, Types, History, & Facts | Britannica

    Nov 8, 2025 · Cooking, fermentation, glass making, and metallurgy are all chemical processes that date from the beginnings of civilization. Today, vinyl, Teflon, liquid crystals, semiconductors, and …

  2. Chemical reaction | Definition, Equations, Examples, & Types - Britannica

    Nov 30, 2025 · Substances are either chemical elements or compounds. A chemical reaction rearranges the constituent atoms of the reactants to create different substances as products.

  3. Chemical element | Definition, Origins, Distribution, & Facts - Britannica

    Nov 29, 2025 · 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 …

  4. Chemical compound | Definition, Examples, & Types | Britannica

    Nov 11, 2025 · 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.

  5. Chemical energy | Definition & Facts | Britannica

    The chemical energy in food is converted by the body into mechanical energy and heat. The chemical energy in coal is converted into electrical energy at a power plant. The chemical energy in a battery …

  6. Chemical formula | Definition, Types, Examples, & Facts | Britannica

    Nov 1, 2025 · 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 …

  7. Chemical industry | Overview, Importance, & History | Britannica

    Dec 5, 2025 · Chemical industry, complex of processes, operations, and organizations engaged in the manufacture of chemicals and their derivatives. Raw materials include fossil fuels and inorganic …

  8. Mercury - Compounds, Oxides, Salts | Britannica

    Nov 19, 2025 · In agriculture it is used as a fungicide, in medicine it was sometimes employed as a topical antiseptic in concentrations of one part per 2,000 parts of water, and in the chemical industry …

  9. chemistry - Kids | Britannica Kids | Homework Help

    In 1661 a British scientist named Robert Boyle described chemical elements as simple, basic substances. In the 1770s a French chemist named Antoine Lavoisier helped to explain chemical …

  10. Chemical symbol | Atomic Number, Element Name & Compound …

    Chemical symbol, short notation derived from the scientific name of a chemical element—e.g., S for sulfur and Si for silicon. Sometimes the symbol is derived from the Latin name—e.g., Au for aurum, …