Quaternion types of Clifford algebra elements, basis-free approach

We consider Clifford algebras over the field of real or complex numbers as a quotient algebra without fixed basis. We present classification of Clifford algebra elements based on the notion of quaternion type. This classification allows us to reveal and prove a number of new properties of Clifford algebras. We rely on the operations of conjugation to introduce the notion of quaternion type. Also we find relations between the concepts of quaternion type and rank of Clifford algebra element.