Homogeneous mixtures are uniform compositions of compounds or elements without chemical bonding. They have one phase and even distribution of materials. Colloids are a type of homogeneous mixture with larger particle sizes and two phases. Solutions are examples of homogeneous mixtures with solutes and solvents. Heterogeneous mixtures have more than one phase and uneven distribution of components.
Typically, the term homogeneous mixture is used in chemistry. To fully understand the term as applied to chemistry, one must first understand what homogeneous means and what constitutes a mixture. Homogeneous comes from the Latin term, homogeneous, meaning equal or kind. In defining what constitutes a mixture, a mixture is formed when two or more compounds or elements are combined without chemical bonding or alterations occurring. Used in chemistry, homogeneous means having a uniform composition, so a homogeneous mixture is one with a uniform mixture of compounds or elements.
Also known as a solution, a homogeneous mixture can be viewed under a microscope to check for even distribution of materials. For example, if a homogeneous mixture were divided into four parts, each part would contain 25% of the total volume of each compound. A smooth mixture containing one part salt to four parts water, for example, should have the same ratio of salt to water when divided into halves or quarters. The elements in a homogeneous mixture are suspended in the solution and do not change their distribution upon settling.
In addition to the uniform distribution of compounds and elements, homogeneous mixtures also have only one phase, which means that the particles always remain one size. While elements or compounds within a mixture do not combine chemically, the suspension of elements is uniform. Conversely, heterogeneous mixtures have more than one phase and do not distribute the components evenly within the mixture. When viewed with the naked eye, elements within a heterogeneous mixture can be seen as separate from other elements. Sand mixed with water, for example, is a heterogeneous mixture with two separate and visible phases or particle sizes.
Examples of smooth blends include cloudless air, simple syrup, corn oil, and white vinegar. Each of these examples is called solutions, with equal distribution of materials and particles of molecular or atomic size. Solutions are made up of solutes and solvents. The solvent is the largest volume, usually water, with the solutes being the smallest volume dissolved or otherwise dispersed in the solvent.
Milk and fog are examples of homogeneous mixtures known as colloids, characterized by larger particle sizes. Although colloids have larger particles, these mixtures maintain the same uniform distribution of compounds and elements. Colloids are unique examples of homogeneous mixtures because colloids have two phases – dispersion and continuous – based on the size of the particles within the mixture. Because of the two separate phases of a colloid, these mixtures are somewhere between a conventional homogeneous mixture and a heterogeneous mixture. The particles are not visible to the naked eye as in a heterogeneous mixture, but the mixture has two separate phases.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
