What is a Compound?
A compound is a substance created by when two or more chemical elements are bound together. There are so many examples of a compound that are used on regular basis including sodium chloride (NaCl, a common salt use at every place), sodium chloride (Na2CO3, commonly found in manufacturing paper, soap, glass, and photography).
Types of compounds
The type of bonds holding together in a compound can vary i.e. covalent bonds and ionic bonds. Therefore, there are a lot of changes in the chemical properties and structures producing different types of compounds. But typically the elements are present in a fixed ratio whether it is available in any compound. There are some examples of the compound mentioned below that help to understand you in a good manner.
Examples of Compounds
A few examples of compounds are given below.
Pure water - It is a compound made from two elements, i.e., hydrogen and oxygen. In which each molecule of water contains 2 hydrogen atoms bonded to a single oxygen atom. In simple words, the ratio of hydrogen to oxygen in water is 2:1.
Pure Methane - This compound is also made up of two elements- carbon and hydrogen in the ratio of 4:1.
Pure table salt - The two elements present in pure table salt are sodium and chlorine. However, these two elements share an equal ratio, i.e., 1:1.
Pure Glucose - This is the compound that is made from three elements, i.e., carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Hydrogen shares a double ratio than carbon and oxygen - 2:1:1.
What is a Mixture?
A mixture is a substance composed of two or more matter that can be separated with the help of physical methods. There are some examples of the mixtures that are present around you like a solution of water and salt, sugar and water, different gases, air in the atmosphere and many more. Below are some other examples of a mixture.
Examples of Common Mixtures are as Follows:
Seawater - It is a mixture of various salts and mixture.
Gunpowder – It is a mixture of Potassium Nitrate and carbon.
Ink – It is a mixture of different coloured dyes which can be separated by using Chromatography.
Crude oil – It is a mixture of organic compounds that includes hydrocarbons.
Dry Air – It is a type of much different type of gases like nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, argon, neon, and other tiny traces gases. (Air generally contains water vapour as a part of mixture)
These are some possible heterogeneous and homogeneous mixtures.
In the given example of a mixture, the various components do not combine through any kind of chemical changes. Therefore, the components mix with others does not lose their individual properties. Moreover, mixtures are divided into types based on their composition.
Types of Mixtures
Homogeneous
Heterogeneous
Homogeneous Mixture
Homogeneous Mixtures are those that have the same composition throughout the mixture. For instance - a mixture of salt and water, sugar and water, lemonade, soda water etc. The example of salt and water is a classic example because there is no differentiating between the mixture of salt and water. The light of passed through the mixture of salt and water is not seen. This kind of mixture has a uniform composition that does not separate readily. The properties of every part of the homogeneous mixture are the same. Below are some homogenous mixture properties are given.
Properties
The Properties of a Homogeneous Mixture are as Follows:
The boundaries of the particles of the substance cannot be differentiated.
The particles of mixtures are less than one nanometre.
These particles do not show the Tyndall effect.
The constituent particles cannot be separated by using centrifugation or decantation.
An example of this mixture is Alloy.
Heterogeneous Mixture
Heterogeneous mixtures are those where there is a lack of uniform composition. A mixture of soil and sand, oil and water, sulphur and iron filings and many more are the examples of heterogeneous mixtures. In this, the boundaries of the constituent particles can be identified easily because it has two or more distinct phases. It is rarely possible to separate the particles from each other. Sometimes some mixtures appear as heterogeneous at a normal scale become more homogeneous on a large scale. For instance- Sand is a heterogeneous mixture if you examine it in the palm of your hand and seems homogeneous if you have a view of an entire beach. Here, some properties of the heterogeneous mixture are explained below for better understanding.
Properties
The Properties of a Heterogeneous Mixture are as Follows:
In a heterogeneous mixture, the constituent particles are present uniformly.
Most of the mixtures are heterogeneous except alloys and solutions.
You can identify the components easily in the heterogeneous mixture.
The particles show a Tyndall effect.
The size of the particles is between one nanometer and one micrometer.
Difference Between Compound and Mixture
FAQs on Difference Between Compound and Mixture for JEE Main 2024
1. What are the three main differences between compound and mixture?
The three main differences between compound and mixture are:
Compounds | Mixtures |
(i) When two or more elements are combined chemically they are called compounds. | (i) When more elements or compounds are mixed physically they are called mixtures. |
(ii) The fixed ratio of elements cannot change in compounds. | (ii) But in mixtures the constituents are not present in a fixed ratio. |
(iii) Compounds are always homogeneous which means they have similar composition throughout. | (iii) Mixtures may be homogeneous or heterogeneous. |
2. What is compound and mixture with an example?
Compounds are made up of molecules and each of them consists of different types of chemically bound atoms. But mixtures are made up of two or more elements or compounds that are mixed physically not chemically. Water, carbon dioxide, glucose, copper sulfate, etc. are examples of compounds while sugar-water, sand-water, oil-water, and air that are mixtures of different gasses are examples of mixtures. For more details regarding compounds and mixtures, students can visit Vedantu website or mobile application of Vedantu where they can get these free PDFs.
3. Is water a compound or a mixture?
Water is not a mixture but a compound. Water is made up of two elements hydrogen and oxygen in a fixed ratio. Also, the constituents can be separated only by a chemical process or electrochemical process but hydrogen and oxygen in water can be separated physically. The compound water has different properties from the two elements hydrogen and oxygen. Also, water has a fixed boiling point.
4. How does the separating technique make the difference between compound and mixture?
In compounds, two or more elements are combined chemically while In the case of mixtures two or more elements or compounds are combined physically. Mixtures can be separated physically by using various physical techniques like evaporation, filtration, distillation, and chromatography. While compounds are separated by chemical methods or reactions as elements cannot be broken down by any physical process.
5. Why is it important to study the differences between compounds and mixtures?
Generally compounds and mixtures are important combinations of elements. In living things or non-living objects, they are very essential to the chemical processes. On this planet, most of the elements are combined to form compounds and mixtures. Therefore they are an important fundamental portion of chemistry. For example, water is a compound and air is a mixture of different gasses that are very essential to all living organisms.
