How Many Types of Mixtures are There

Introduction

A mixture is a substance that is formed by mixing two or more substances together. These substances can be of the same or different kinds. It is not necessary that substances forming a mixture combine chemically. When two substances combine physically and retain their properties even after being mixed is called a mixture. Mixtures can be formed in the form of solutions, Suspensions, or Colloids. The components of mixtures can be separated through various methods. Since mixing is a physical phenomenon the chemical structure and properties of individual substances remain intact. Mechanical Mixing can form mixtures. Procedures like Diffusion and Osmosis can also help one form mixtures. Even though the Chemical properties of mixtures remain the same, they have surprising physical properties when compared to their constituents. For example, if you mix water with milk the boiling point of the mixture is different from the boiling point of its combining constituents.

General Properties of Mixtures

A few General Properties that can be seen in all the mixtures include:

• The proportion combining elements of a mixture is variable.

• Mixtures can be easily separated through various processes like Filtration, Winnowing, etc.

• Each component involved in a mixture retains its chemical properties.

• Components are not combined chemically.

• No change in Energy takes place while a mixture is formed.

Few Mixtures Which We See in Our Day-to-Day Life

Most of the things we see around us on a daily basis are mixtures. Some of these include:

1. Air

2. Soda

3. Salt and pepper

4. Water

Types of Mixtures

Mixtures, based on the composition of mixtures, can be classified into two categories. These are:

• Homogeneous Mixtures

• Heterogeneous Mixtures

Homogeneous Mixtures

A homogeneous mixture is one in which the substances are distributed evenly throughout. Some examples of homogeneous mixtures are salt and water, air, lemonade, etc. Homogeneous mixtures are such that if you incident a beam of light on it, the path of the light will not be visible to you. Solutions are the best homogeneous mixtures.

Solutions are substances where one substance gets dissolved in the other. The one that gets dissolved is called a solute while the one that doesn’t get dissolved is called a solvent.

Characteristics of Homogeneous Mixtures

Some Characteristics of Homogeneous mixtures are:

• Homogeneous mixtures do not demonstrate Tyndall’s impact.

• Solutions are all homogeneous mixtures.

• Alloys are Homogeneous mixtures. It means minerals present in alloys are in definite proportion.

• Boundaries of particles in a homogeneous mixture cannot be separated.

Heterogeneous Mixtures

Heterogeneous mixtures are those which are not uniform throughout. This means that the proportion of constituents substances throughout is not constant. Some heterogeneous mixtures include Soil and Sand, Sulphur and Iron filings, etc.

Characteristics of Heterogeneous Mixtures

Some properties of Heterogeneous Mixtures include:

• Constituents are not present in uniform proportion.

• Constituents can be differentiated easily and effectively.

• Heterogeneous mixtures demonstrate Tyndall’s impact.

• The size of constituent particles lies in the range of 1 nanometer to 1 micrometre.

What is The Difference Between a Solution and a Mixture?

Solutions are a type of mixture. However, solutions are uniform throughout thus making them a homogeneous mixture. For example Mixture of Salt and water is a solution. Mixtures, however, can be heterogeneous as well. Thus Solutions and mixtures differ on the basis of their composition.

Mixtures- Some Trivial Facts

Some trivial facts about mixtures we see around us every day are:

• Smoke is a mixture suspended in Air which is a mixture itself. Air is a mixture of gases that consists of smoke. Smoke is a mixture of ash and other small particles.

• Tap water is a mixture consisting of water and other impurities.

• Almost all the substances that we encounter on a daily basis are mixtures.

• Blood running in our veins is a mixture as well. Blood consists of RBCs, WBCs, and Plasma. The constituents particles can be easily separated through a simple process of centrifugation.

Conclusion

From what we read so far it is understood that mixtures are a mechanical blending of different substances which do not combine chemically. The particles which form a mixture retain their chemical properties. Chemical compounds can be blended mechanically to form mixtures and they can take different shapes such as solutions, suspensions, or Colloidal.