A mixture contains two or more substances that are not united chemically to form a compound.
Mixtures and compounds can be recognized by a number of characteristics including:
- Physical methods such as filtration, freezing, and distillation, can be used to separate mixtures, but not compounds, into their components.
- Mixtures do not have a fixed, definite formula, but compounds do.
- Individual substances keep their properties in a mixture, while their properties change if they react to become a compound.
12 Examples of Common Mixtures:
- Sea water - a mixture of water and various salts.
- Crude oil - a mixture of organic compounds - mainly hydrocarbons.
- Gasoline - a mixture of light hydrocarbons and performance additives.
- Gunpowder - a mixture of potassium nitrate, sulfur and carbon.
- Dry (air - a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, neon and tiny traces of other gases. Air normally also contains water vapor as part of the mixture.)
- Ink - a mixture of colored dyes that can be separated using chromatography.
- Tomato soup - a mixture of water and the components of tomatoes.
- Fog - a mixture of water droplets or ice crystals and air.
- Blood - a mixture of a large number of substance including red and white blood cells; and plasma, containing water, albumin, glucose, mineral ions, etc.
- Mineral oils - a mixture of straight chained, branched, and cyclic heavy alkanes. Alkylated aromatics may also be present.
- Soda - a mixture of water, sugar, and flavorings.
- Brass - a mixture of copper and zinc - an example of an alloy, a metal mixture.