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Substance (chemistry)

matter of constant composition best characterized by the entities (molecules, formula units, atoms) it is composed of and characterized by physical properties like density

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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 21, 2026
Entity authorityQ79529 ↗
Source-derived summary

In chemistry, a substance is a unique form of matter with constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Chemical substances may take the form of a single element or chemical compounds. If two or more chemical substances can be combined without reacting, they may form a chemical mixture. If a mixture is separated to isolate one chemical substance to a desired degree, the resulting substance is said to be chemically pure.

Chemical substances can exist in several different physical states or phases (e.g. solids, liquids, gases, or plasma) without changing their chemical composition. Substances transition between these phases of matter in response to changes in temperature or pressure. Some chemical substances can be combined or converted into new substances by means of chemical reactions. Chemicals that do not possess this ability are said to be inert.

Pure water is an example of a chemical substance, with a constant composition of two hydrogen atoms bonded to a single oxygen atom (i.e.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Substance (chemistry)” as matter of constant composition best characterized by the entities (molecules, formula units, atoms) it is composed of and characterized by physical properties like density. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Substance, chemistry and matter.

Editorial reviewA dependable orientation record for establishing vocabulary, names and a first evidence trail. The current 159-word lead offers orientation but no explicit four-digit date, so chronology should not be assumed. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Substance, chemistry and matter providing the first useful test.
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Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Substance (chemistry)”, the useful work is to connect “matter of constant composition best characterized by the entities (molecules, formula units, atoms) it is composed of and characterized by physical properties like density” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q79529. The Library of Congress control number is sh85022963. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.

Critical limits

The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

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Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Substance (chemistry)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.