Chemical Substance

A chemical substance is a material with a specific chemical composition. A common example of a chemical substance is pure water; it has the same properties and the same ratio of hydrogen to oxygen whether it is isolated from a river or made in a laboratory. Some typical chemical substances are diamond, gold, salt (sodium chloride) and sugar (sucrose). Generally, chemical substances exist as a solid, liquid, or gas, and may change between these phases of matter with changes in temperature or pressure. Chemical reactions convert one chemical substance into another. Forms of energy, such as light and heat, are not considered to be matter, and thus they are not "substances" in this regard.