Mixture

From Free net encyclopedia

A mixture is a chemical substance which is a homogeneous or heterogeneous association without chemical bonding of elements and/or compounds in varying proportions and that retain their own individual properties and makeup. Mixtures can usually be separated by mechanical means.

There are no chemical changes in a mixture, i.e., each substance in a mixture keeps the same chemical properties and makeup as before. Physical properties of mixtures, e.g., the melting point, may considerably differ from those of its components. It usually does not.

Contents

Types of mixtures

There are two different types of mixtures, homogeneous mixtures and heterogeneous mixtures.

Homogeneous mixtures

Homogeneous mixtures are mixtures that have a definite composition and properties, for example, any amount of a given mixture has the same composition and properties. Examples are solutions and some alloys (but not all).

Solutions

Template:Main

One type of a homogeneous mixture is a solution. A solution is a homogeneous mixture of one or more substances (the solutes) dissolved in another substance (the solvent). A common example would be a solid dissolving into a liquid, for example salt or sugar dissolving in water (or even gold into mercury, forming an amalgam); but also gases may dissolve into liquids, like carbon dioxide or oxygen in water; in addition, a gas may dissolve into another, and sometimes liquids dissolve into gases, for example water vapour in the atmosphere.

Heterogeneous mixtures

Heterogeneous mixtures are mixtures without definite composition, for example, granite. Pizza is a typical humorous example of this kind of mixture. Heterogeneous mixtures are said to have several phases (not to be confused with phases of matter). An example is the parts of a homogeneous composition, which can be mechanically separated from the rest.

Template:Physical-chemistry-stub

See also

de:Gemisch es:Mezcla fr:Mélange ko:혼합물 io:Mixuro he:תערובת nl:Mengsel pl:Mieszanina pt:Mistura simple:Mixture fi:Seos sv:Blandning tr:Kimyasal karışım zh:混合物