How to Tell the Difference Between the Types of Mixtures
Mixtures are two or more substances that are not chemically united in fixed proportion with each other. Essentially, any element, or pure substance, that is mixed with another element without merging the molecules of each other would be a mixture. Most substances in the world are mixtures. However, the term "mixture" is only a broad term used to describe several different types, and though telling them apart is simple, there are specific criteria for identifying each type.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Determine whether the mixture has the same composition and appearance throughout. Visually, this is simple--just as you can tell that saltwater looks the same throughout, you can also tell that sand in water does not have a uniform appearance. You can chemically test your mixture by taking several samples and determining the ratio of elements. If the mixture is well mixed throughout, it's called a homogeneous mixture, while it's a heterogeneous mixture if you can view the different parts of it.
-
2
Find out whether your heterogeneous mixture is a suspension, or whether your homogeneous mixture is a colloid. For heterogeneous mixtures, a suspension is where the larger particles in the mixture settle out of the mixture and become more visible if the mixture is left standing. A colloid is a homogeneous mixture that has particles which are between the size of particles in suspensions and solutions. Whereas most homogeneous mixtures are made up of particles that are the size of atoms, the particles in colloids are slightly larger (though still invisible to the naked eye).
-
-
3
Deduce whether your mixture is a solution. Most homogeneous mixtures are solutions, which are made up of two or more substances mixed into a single phase.
-
4
Determine whether your solution is made of metals or liquids. "Metals" here refers to what is considered a metal on the periodic table, while "liquid" refers to the state of matter of an element. If the current stage of the solution is a solid solution, (in the solid phase of matter) and it is made from two or more metals, then it is known as an alloy. If it's a liquid or gaseous solution, it is simply known as a solution.
-
5
Measure the concentration of your solution. There are two types of solutions based on their concentration level--diluted solutions, or dilutes and concentrated solutions. You can make a judgment what your solution is based on how much solute (the substance being dissolved) was dissolved into the solvent (the substance that does the dissolving). A concentrated solution of saltwater would have perhaps 10 grams of salt as a solute dissolved into 500 milliliters of water as a solvent, where as a dilute would only have 5 grams of salt dissolved into the same amount of water. Because it's a qualitative measurement, there are no specific rules to determine what is concentrated or diluted.
-
1
References
- Photo Credit pizza image by Christian De Grandmaison from Fotolia.com
