Mixture and Compound

A mixture is an impure substance composed of multiple physical mixed materials. In addition, a mixture can be homogeneous or heterogeneous. In contrast, a compound is an undiluted form made up of at least two compounds by the process of a chemical mixture. The distinction between mixtures and compounds is evident because compounds are generally homogeneous.

Mixture

A mixture is composed of two or greater elements separated by physical methods. Examples of mixtures include a solution of salt and water, water and sugar, various gases and air, the atmosphere and numerous others.

Properties of Mixtures

Let us look at the most critical properties of mixtures:

• The properties of the substances that were the original characteristics of the mixture are always preserved

• One could quickly sort out the components of a mixture by mechanical methods

• The proportion of the constituents may vary in their proportions

Examples of mixtures 

1. Seawater – It’s made up of different salts and mixes.

2. Gunpowder: It’s a combination of carbon and potassium.

3. Ink – It’s mixed with different coloured dyes that can be separated with Chromatography.

4. Crude oil: It’s a mix of organic compounds, which includes hydrocarbons.

5. Dry Air – It’s a highly diverse kind of gases such as argon, neon, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and other traces gases. Air typically contains water vapour as part of the mixture.

Homogeneous Mixture

Homogeneous Mixtures share the same composition throughout the mix. Some examples are a mixture of water and salt or sugar and water, soda water, lemonade, etc. In the case of water and salt, you will find that since there is no distinction between salt and water, the light passing through the mix of water and salt cannot be seen. This type of mixture has a homogeneous structure that doesn’t segregate easily. The properties of each part of the homogeneous mix are identical.

Properties of homogeneous mixture

• The components of the mixture are not able to be separated

• The particles of the mixtures are smaller than one nanometre

• These particles don’t show the Tyndall effect

• The components aren’t separated by decantation or centrifugation

• An excellent example of this mix is Alloy

Heterogeneous Mixture

Heterogeneous mixes are those in which there is no uniform composition. A mixture of sand and soil, oil and water, iron and sulphur filings, and many others can be examples of heterogeneous mixtures. The boundaries of the individual particles are easy to identify because it is composed of several distinct types of phases. It is often challenging to distinguish particles from one another. Certain mixtures that appear heterogeneous on a small scale but are more homogeneous when viewed on the scale are sand. Sand is a heterogeneous blend when examined in your hand. It appears homogeneous if you take an overview of the entire beach.

Properties of a heterogeneous mixture

• In a heterogeneous mixture, the particles that make up the mixture are evenly distributed

• The majority of mixtures are heterogeneous, except the alloys and solutions

• It is easy to recognize the components easily within the heterogeneous mix

• The particles exhibit the Tyndall effect

• The size of particles ranges from one nanometre to one micrometre

Compound

A compound is produced in the process whereby several chemical elements come together. Several examples of compounds are frequently used, including sodium chloride (NaCl, a famous salt used everywhere) and sodium carbonate (Na2CO3 typically found in photography, manufacturing glass, paper and soap).

Properties of a compound

• When a compound is created, the elements have their properties altered, and the compound can acquire distinct properties that are not those of the elements that comprise it

• Elements are combined chemically to create compounds

• There is a transition of energy when a compound is formed

• The compounds can have distinct melting and boiling points compared to the elements they comprise

• Compounds can’t be separated physically, but they require specific chemical methods to separate the elements

Examples of Compounds

A few examples of these compounds are:

1. Pure water: Pure Water is an organic compound composed of two substances, i.e., hydrogen and oxygen. Water has two hydrogen atoms bonded to one oxygen atom in each molecule. In simple terms, oxygen to hydrogen within the water is 2:1.

2. Pure Methane: This chemical comprises two elements, namely hydrogen and carbon, in a ratio of 4:1.

3. Pure table salt: The two components of pure table salt include chlorine and sodium. But, the two elements have an equal proportion, i.e., 1:1.

4. Pure glucose: It is composed of three elements, i.e. hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen. Hydrogen has a higher ratio over oxygen and carbon – 2:1:1.

Difference between mixture and compound

For easier understanding, we shall now look at the differences between mixtures and compounds in a tabular format.

Conclusion

With these differences between mixture and compound in tabular form, we can conclude a glaring distinction between compounds and mixtures.

Mixtures are substances created by physically mixing two or more substances. A few examples of mixtures include seawater, gun powder, ink. A compound is a substance formed by chemically combining two or more elements. Some examples of compounds are water, glucose, and methane.