If you want, you can capture the water vapor and recondense it back into liquid water. A pure substance has unique chemical and physical properties. Most pure substances can be broken down into simpler substances by chemical reactions. Those that can be broken down in this manner are called compounds . Ordinary table sugar is such a compound.
Table sugar is made up of two simpler sugars called glucose and fructose.
These in turn are composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. 115 known substances cannot be broken down into simpler substances. Familiar elements include such materials as iron, aluminum, gold, and the oxygen and nitrogen in the air we breathe. Over time, chemists have compiled a great deal of information about each of the chemical elements. A handy way to organize the elements is the Periodic Table of the Elements .