What is smallest particle of matter still retaining the characteristic of the element building block of matter?

Answer 1

The smallest particle of matter still retaining the elemental properties of matter is an atom. Atoms have building blocks, and they are protons, electrons and neutrons. But the atom, because it is made of these elemental building blocks, is the furthest we can break matter down and retain the elemental structure.

We can further break down the building blocks of matter, the particles that make up the atom, but the resultant particles are not stable. They spontaneously go through changes and disappear.

It is not an atom it is a quark

Answer 2

an atom.

An atom is made up of subatomic particles(protons, electrons, neutrons), but none of those, individually, have any kind of elemental characteristic until they're combined in various combinations to make an atom.

Answer 3

An atom is the smallest indivisible particle of matter.

However, some compounds cannot exist as atoms. For example, the smallest particle of Styrofoam retaining the characteristics of Styrofoam is a molecule; atoms are only the smallest retaining the characteristics if the substance in question is an element.

Answer 4

An atom is the smallest building block of matter that retains the characteristics of that matter.

Answer 5

An atom is the smallest particle that still retains the characteristics of that element

Answer 6

The smallest particle of matter that still retains it's characteristics is called an atom.

Answer 7

atom

Answer 8

An atom