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Nature of Matter: Elements, Compounds, and Mixtures - Pure Substances vs. Mixtures

Grade 8CBSE

Review the key concepts, formulae, and examples before starting your quiz.

🔑Concepts

Matter is classified into two main types based on chemical composition: Pure Substances and Mixtures.

A Pure Substance consists of only one type of particles (atomsatoms or moleculesmolecules). These are further divided into Elements and Compounds.

Elements are the simplest form of matter that cannot be broken down into simpler substances by chemical reactions. Examples include Iron (FeFe), Oxygen (O2O_2), and Gold (AuAu).

Compounds are substances formed when two or more elements combine chemically in a fixed ratio by mass. For example, in Water (H2OH_2O), the ratio of Hydrogen to Oxygen by mass is always 1:81:8.

Mixtures contain two or more substances (elements or compounds) mixed together physically in any proportion, without any chemical bond formation.

Homogeneous Mixtures have a uniform composition throughout (e.g., Sugar solution, Air).

Heterogeneous Mixtures have a non-uniform composition where the components can be seen separately (e.g., Mixture of SandSand and SaltSalt, OilOil and WaterWater).

The properties of a compound are entirely different from its constituent elements, whereas a mixture retains the properties of its constituents.

Components of a mixture can be separated by physical methods (filtration, evaporation), but components of a compound can only be separated by chemical or electrochemical reactions.

📐Formulae

Mass Ratio in H2O=2×Mass of H:1×Mass of O=2:16=1:8\text{Mass Ratio in } H_2O = 2 \times \text{Mass of } H : 1 \times \text{Mass of } O = 2:16 = 1:8

Mass Ratio in CO2=1×Mass of C:2×Mass of O=12:32=3:8\text{Mass Ratio in } CO_2 = 1 \times \text{Mass of } C : 2 \times \text{Mass of } O = 12:32 = 3:8

Percentage of an element in a compound=Mass of element in 1 moleMolar mass of compound×100\text{Percentage of an element in a compound} = \frac{\text{Mass of element in 1 mole}}{\text{Molar mass of compound}} \times 100

💡Examples

Problem 1:

Explain why a mixture of Iron (FeFe) filings and Sulphur (SS) powder is considered a mixture, while Iron Sulphide (FeSFeS) is considered a compound.

Solution:

  1. In the mixture of FeFe and SS, the iron particles can be separated using a magnet. 2. In FeSFeS, the iron and sulphur are chemically bonded and cannot be separated by a magnet. 3. The mixture shows the individual properties of FeFe and SS, but FeSFeS has entirely different properties from its constituent elements.

Explanation:

A mixture retains the physical properties of its constituents and can be separated by physical means. A compound is a new substance formed by chemical change with a fixed composition.

Problem 2:

Classify the following as homogeneous or heterogeneous mixtures: (a) Soda water, (b) Wood, (c) Air, (d) Soil.

Solution:

(a) Soda water: Homogeneous, (b) Wood: Heterogeneous, (c) Air: Homogeneous (if filtered/dust-free), (d) Soil: Heterogeneous.

Explanation:

Homogeneous mixtures have a single phase and uniform distribution of particles, while heterogeneous mixtures have visible boundaries of separation between constituents.

Problem 3:

Calculate the ratio by number of atoms for the elements in Ammonia (NH3NH_3).

Solution:

In Ammonia (NH3NH_3), there is 11 atom of Nitrogen (NN) and 33 atoms of Hydrogen (HH). Therefore, the ratio of atoms N:HN:H is 1:31:3.

Explanation:

The chemical formula of a compound represents the fixed ratio of the number of atoms of the constituent elements.