Elements are the building blocks of matter. An element is a substance made up of only one type of matter. One element cannot be easily changed into another element. Elements cannot be broken down into smaller materials with different properties. The properties of a small or large piece of an element are the same. All elements are organized into a(n) periodic table according to their properties. Gold, silver, and oxygen are all elements. Some elements, such as californium, are named after the place where they were discovered. Each element has a shorthand symbol, with the first letter always capitalized.