Homogeneous and heterogeneous mixtures

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A homogeneous mixture is a solid, liquid, or gaseous mixture that has the same proportions of its
components throughout any given sample. Conversely, a heterogeneous mixture has components
whose proportions vary throughout the sample. "Homogeneous" and "heterogeneous" are not absolute
terms but depend on context and the size of the sample.

In chemistry, a homogeneous suspension of material means that when dividing the volume in half, the
same amount of material is suspended in both halves of the substance; however, it might be possible to
see the particles under a microscope. An example of a homogeneous mixture is air.

In physical chemistry and materials science that[clarification needed] refers to substances and mixtures
which are in a single phase. This is in contrast to a substance that is heterogeneous.[1]

A figure reprinting at the atomic level the differences between homogeneous mixtures, heterogeneous
mixtures, compounds, and elements.

Contents

1 Homogeneous mixture

1.1 Solutions

1.2 Gases

1.3 Solids

2 Metrics

3 Homogenization

4 See also

5 References

Homogeneous mixture
Solutions

A solution is a special type of homogeneous mixture. Solutions are homogeneous because the ratio of
solute to solvent remains the same throughout the solution even if homogenized with multiple sources,
and stable because the solute will not settle out after any period of time, and it cannot be removed by a
filter or by centrifuge.[2] This type of mixture is very stable, i.e., its particles do not settle, or separate.
As a homogeneous mixture, a solution has one phase (liquid) although the solute and solvent can vary:
for example, salt water.

Gases

Air can be more specifically described as a gaseous solution (oxygen and other gases dissolved in the
major component, nitrogen). Since interactions between molecules play almost no role, dilute gases
form rather trivial solutions. In part of the literature, they are not even classified as solutions.In gas
intermolecular space is greatest and Intermolecular force of attraction is least

Solids

In chemistry, a mixture is a substance containing two or more elements or compounds that are not
covalently bound to each other and which retain their own chemical and physical identities; – a
substance which has two or more constituent physical substances. Mixtures, in the broader sense, are
two or more substances physically in the same place, but these are not chemically combined, and
therefore ratios are not necessarily considered.[3]