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In chemistry, to be classified as an organic substance, a substance must contain?

  1. Carbon atoms

  2. Hydrogen atoms

  3. Nitrogen atoms

  4. Oxygen atoms

The correct answer is: Carbon atoms

Organic substances are characterized by the presence of carbon atoms in their chemical structure. This is because carbon is the building block of life and is crucial to the formation of all living organisms and their molecules. While hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen atoms may also be present in organic compounds, they are not the defining characteristic for a substance to be classified as organic. Therefore, options B, C, and D are incorrect.