A mixture in chemistry is a substance made up of two or more unrelated chemical components. A mixture is a physical combination of two or more distinct substances that can take the form of solutions, suspensions, or colloids.
- Crude oil: A mixture of organic compounds (mainly hydrocarbons)
- Seawater: A mixture of various salt and water.
Mixtures are formed by just mixing two or more pure substances (components) such that each substance retains its own chemical identity.
Types of Mixtures:
Heterogeneous and homogeneous mixtures are the two types of mixtures. While homogeneous mixtures seem consistent throughout, heterogeneous mixtures have clearly discernible components. A solution, which can be a solid, liquid, or gas, is the most typical kind of homogenous mixture.
1. Homogeneous mixture
A mixture which has a uniform composition throughout is called a homogeneous mixture or solution.
- Examples: sugar in water, salt in water.
Heterogeneous mixture
A mixture which contains physically distinct parts and has a non-uniform composition is called a heterogeneous mixture.
- Examples: Mixture of salt and iron filings, sand and sugar.