There are 3 unknown substances A, B, and C that need to be classified as element, mixture or compound.. Substance A can be broken down by a physical change. Substance B cannot be broken down by a chemical or physical change. Substance C can only be broken down by a chemical change. How would you classify these substances based on the given information?(1 point)

Responses

Substance A is an element, substance B is a compound, and substance C is a mixture.
Substance A is an element, substance B is a compound, and substance C is a mixture.

Substance A is a mixture, substance B is an element, and substance C is a compound.
Substance A is a mixture, substance B is an element, and substance C is a compound.

Substance A is a compound, substance B is a mixture, and substance C is an element.
Substance A is a compound, substance B is a mixture, and substance C is an element.

Substance A is a compound, substance B is an element, and substance C is a mixture.
Substance A is a compound, substance B is an element, and substance C is a mixture.
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1 answer

To classify the substances based on the given information:

  1. Substance A can be broken down by a physical change, which indicates it must be a mixture. Mixtures can often be separated into their components through physical means.

  2. Substance B cannot be broken down by either a chemical or physical change, which classifies it definitely as an element. Elements are the simplest forms of matter and cannot be broken down into simpler substances.

  3. Substance C can only be broken down by a chemical change, which indicates that it is a compound. Compounds consist of two or more elements chemically bonded together and can only be separated into their elemental components through chemical reactions.

Based on this reasoning, the correct classification is:

Substance A is a mixture, substance B is an element, and substance C is a compound.

This matches the second option: Substance A is a mixture, substance B is an element, and substance C is a compound.