Which of the following is an example of a mixture?
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
An example of a mixture is saltwater.
A mixture is a physical combination of two or more substances where each substance retains its own properties. In the case of saltwater, salt (sodium chloride) dissolves in water, but both salt and water maintain their individual chemical properties. Salt is a solid, and water is a liquid, but when mixed, the salt dissolves in the water, forming a homogeneous solution. However, if the concentration of salt were increased beyond its solubility limit, the salt would begin to remain as solid crystals, and the mixture would become heterogeneous.
Mixtures can be classified into two main categories:
- Homogeneous mixtures: These are mixtures where the components are uniformly distributed and cannot be easily distinguished. Saltwater is a good example of a homogeneous mixture because, once the salt is dissolved, you can’t distinguish the salt particles from the water.
- Heterogeneous mixtures: These mixtures have components that are not uniformly distributed and can be physically separated. An example would be a salad or a mixture of sand and pebbles, where you can see and separate the different components.
In contrast to mixtures, compounds involve the chemical combination of elements, resulting in a new substance with different properties. For example, sodium chloride (table salt) is a compound because it is formed by the chemical bonding of sodium and chlorine atoms, and its properties differ from those of the individual elements.
Mixtures are important in everyday life and can be found in numerous applications, such as in cooking (e.g., salads, soups), in air (a mixture of gases), or in industrial processes (e.g., alloys).