Term 1 Class 7
The City School
Handout: Science 3.6
Topic: Mixtures
Learners will be able to:
➢ Recognise that substances can be classified as elements, compounds and mixtures
➢ Describe mixtures as two or more elements and or compounds that are not chemically combined.
➢ Distinguish among elements, compounds and mixtures
➢ Differentiate between a pure substance, homogeneous mixture and a heterogeneous mixture.
➢ Identify properties of a pure substance.
Mixture is formed when two or more elements or compounds are combined without being chemically
bonded together. The substances which have been mixed are not present in specific
amounts or ratios like they are in a compound, they can be in any combination, e.g. for a
mixture of sand and water you could have any amount of sand with any amount of
water.
Properties of mixtures:
• All the components or substances in a mixture retain their original physical properties.
• The mixture can be separated into its components physically by using some techniques
• The components in a mixture may or may not be in a fixed proportion and can vary in quantity.
• No energy exchange or chemical reaction is involved in the formation of a mixture.
Element: An element is a pure substance that cannot be broken down into any other
substances. An element is made from just one type of atom, and examples include oxygen,
hydrogen and iron. Some elements exist as individual atoms, but some exist as molecules.
Compound is a pure substance that is made from more than one element. In a compound,
elements are chemically bonded together, which makes it very difficult to separate them.
Types of Mixtures:
Homogeneous mixture is a mixture in which the components that make up the
mixture are uniformly distributed throughout the mixture. The composition of
the mixture is the same throughout. There is only one phase of
matter observed in a homogeneous mixture at a time. So, you wouldn't
observe both a liquid and a gas or a liquid and a solid in a homogeneous
mixture. Examples, air, steel, rain water, sugar water Heterogeneous mixture is a mixture in which the
components of the mixture are not uniform or have localized regions with different properties. Different
samples from the mixture are not identical to each other. There are always two or more phases in a
heterogeneous mixture, where you can identify a region with properties that are distinct from those of
Term 1 Class 7
another region, even if they are the same state of matter (e.g., liquid, solid). Examples cereal in milk,
vegetable soup, pizza.
Pure substance: A substance that has a fixed chemical composition throughout is called a pure substance
such as water, air, and nitrogen. A pure substance does not have to be of a single element or compound. A
pure substance has a constant chemical composition. No matter where you sample a substance, it is the
same. Examples of pure substances include chemical elements and compounds.
Properties of pure substances:
• Mostly homogeneous in nature containing only one type of atom or molecule.
• These substances mainly have a constant or uniform composition throughout.
• The substances have fixed boiling and melting points.
• A pure substance usually participates in a chemical reaction to form predictable products.
Examples of mixtures:
• Air is the best example of a homogeneous mixture.
• Natural gas is a mixture of many gases used as fuel.
• Alloys are a mixture of two or more metals that contain a single phase like brass, steel, bronze, silver, etc
• The chemical solution of similar phases is a homogeneous mixture. e.g. the solution of sugar in water.
• Chemicals used in daily life like dishwashing liquids, vinegar etc.
• Saltwater is a homogeneous mixture until the concentration of salt increases the dissolution limit.
• Coffee and tea are good examples of homogeneous mixtures.
• Seawater makes a good example of homogeneous mixtures when only dissolved gases are concerned
• Perfumes are homogeneous mixtures as well.
• All perfect solutions are considered homogeneous mixtures.
• Earth’s atmosphere is a heterogeneous mixture because the components of the atmosphere are not
equally distributed.
• The mixing of two solid substances results in a heterogeneous mixture like sand and water, vegetables
such as salad, etc.
• The combining of two different phases such as salt and oil, insoluble crystals in water, are examples of
heterogeneous mixtures unless there is proper dissolution by any means.
• All immiscible liquids make heterogeneous mixtures such as oil and water, etc.
• Blood is an example of a heterogeneous mixture containing both solid and liquid components.
• Soil and sand are mixtures of different types of materials so they are heterogeneous too.
• Medicine syrups and solutions are usually mixtures with multiple phase components. This is the reason,
why the ‘shake well before use’ policy is advised.
• All suspensions and colloids are considered heterogeneous mixtures.
Term 1 Class 7
Classification of substances:
Difference between elements compounds and mixtures:
