Chemistry Regents Practice Test 2025 – The All-in-One Guide to Exam Success!

The process by which a compound is broken down into its constituent elements or simpler substances through chemical means is known as electrolysis. In electrolysis, an electric current is passed through a compound that is typically in a molten state or dissolved in a solution. This process causes a chemical change, breaking the compound apart at the electrodes into its elemental components.

This is fundamentally different from the other methods listed. Filtration is a physical separation technique used to separate solids from liquids based on particle size, while evaporation involves the physical change of a liquid transforming into vapor, leaving behind any dissolved solids without altering their chemical structure. Distillation is another physical separation method that involves boiling a liquid to vaporize it and then condensing it to separate components based on their differing boiling points. Thus, electrolysis is the correct choice as it specifically involves the chemical breakdown of a compound.