Epsom salt is chemically classified as which type of substance?

Epsom salt is chemically classified as which type of substance?

• A. Element
• B. Compound
• C. Mixture
• D. Alloy

Answer: (B)

Substances are classified by how their atoms are arranged and bonded. Epsom salt, MgSO4·7H2O, is made of magnesium, sulfur, oxygen, and hydrogen in a fixed ratio and held together by chemical bonds in a crystalline structure with water of hydration. That combination forms a single chemical substance—a compound. It isn’t an element because it isn’t just one kind of atom, and it isn’t a mixture because the components are chemically bonded rather than just physically combined. It also isn’t an alloy, which would be a metallic blend.

Substances are classified by how their atoms are arranged and bonded. Epsom salt, MgSO4·7H2O, is made of magnesium, sulfur, oxygen, and hydrogen in a fixed ratio and held together by chemical bonds in a crystalline structure with water of hydration. That combination forms a single chemical substance—a compound. It isn’t an element because it isn’t just one kind of atom, and it isn’t a mixture because the components are chemically bonded rather than just physically combined. It also isn’t an alloy, which would be a metallic blend.