MIXTURES

MIXTURES
A mixture is a combination of two or more substances that are not chemically combined. There
are two types of mixtures:
1. Homogeneous mixtures-the composition is the same throughout
2. Heterogeneous mixtures- the components maintain their identity; the substances in the
mixture are not spread out evenly.
There are three types of mixtures
1. Solutions
2. Suspensions
3. Colloids
SOLUTION

COLLOID

SUSPENSION

Homogeneous mixture. Looks

the same all through out

Heterogeneous mixture.

Heterogeneous mixture

Solute particles small

Colloid particles in-between

size

Suspended particles are large

Particles not visible under

microscope

Particles visible under

microscope

Particles visible to naked eye

Solute and solvent do not

separate from each other

Particles do not separate or

settle

Particles are suspended but

settle if left to stand

Solute cannot be separated

from solvent by filtering

Particles cannot be separated

by filtering

Particles can be separated

from liquid by filtering

Examples; salt water, gases

dissolved in water, alloys

Jelly, shaving cream, egg

white, paint, milk

Mud or powdered chalk in

water, Medicines that need to
be shaken.

TYPES OF SOLUTION
Types of
Solute
solution
Solid in liquid
Solid
Solid in solid
Solid
Gas in liquid
Gas
Liquid in liquid
Liquid
Gas in gas
Gas

Solvent Examples
Liquid
Solid
Liquid
Liquid
Gas

Sugar in water, salt in water, iodine in ethanol

Alloys e.g. brass (copper + zinc), bronze (copper +tin)
Oxygen in water, carbon dioxide in water (fizzy drinks)
Alcohol in water, syrup in water
Air (mixture of oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and
inert gases), natural gas (mixture of methane, ethane
and other gases
1

Examples of Colloids both Natural and Man-made:

1. Aerosols-man-made: aerosol sprays, insecticides spray, smog
-natural: fog, cloud
2. Solid aerosols-natural: smoke, dust
3. Foam-man-made: shaving lather, whipped cream
4. Emulsions-man-made: mayonnaise, cosmetic lotion, lubricants
-natural: milk
5. Sols-man-made: paint, ink, detergents, rubber. Sol-is a colloid that has a continuous liquid
phase, in which a solid is suspended in a liquid.
6. Solid sols- man-made: certain alloys, some coloured glass
-natural: pearl
7. Solid foam-man-made: marshmallow, Styrofoam
8. Gels- man-made: butter, jelly, cheese, shoe polish, jam

STAIN REMOVAL
Stains are removed from surfaces by:
1. Neutralization:
acidic stains are removed using basic substances
basic stains are removed using acidic substances
2. Dissolving the stain in water or organic solvent
3. Using bleaching agents or enzymes
Basic stains
Rust

Mild acids such as lemon juice and vinegar used to neutralize the stain

Toilet bowl

Mild acids such as sodium hydrogen sulphate used to neutralize stain

Tarnish

Lemon juice along with scouring powder to neutralize stain

Acidic Stains
Tea/Fruit/Wine

Alkali Borax or bicarbonate soda use to neutralize stain

Plaque

Alkaline toothpaste used to neutralize plaque

Dissolving in organic solvent (non-aqueous)

Nail polish
Dissolved in acetone, nail polish does not dissolve in water
Pen ink/
Grass/Iodine
Paint

Dissolved in methylated spirits

Grease/oil/gum

Carbon tetrachloride (dry cleaners)

Dissolved in turpentine

Caffeine

Dichloromethane

Bleaching agents/Enzymes
Blood/ egg/
Hydrogen peroxide or detergent containing enzymes
gravy
Mildew/
tobacco

Bleaching agent, chlorine bleach

Substances such as table salt, which are able to dissolve in water, are described as soluble. A
soluble substances dissolved in water is described as aqueous. These substances can be removed
from clothing using simple soap or detergent with water.

DETERGENTS
A detergent is a substance used to help to clean things.
There are two categories of detergents:
Soapy detergents
Soapless detergents
Soapy detergents are made by heating natural fat or oils with excess concentrated sodium
hydroxide in a process called saponification as seen:
SODIUM HYDROXIDE + STEARIC ACID (FAT) SODIUM STEARATE + WATER

These include many common soap bars

Soapless detergents are synthetic detergents made from petroleum products. These are mainly
found in liquid and powder washing detergents and dish washing liquid.
SOAPY

SOAPLESS

Forms scum in hard water

No scum formed in hard water

Made from fats and oils

Made from petroleum products

Biodegradable do not harm environment

May cause serious water pollution, cause

foaming and eutrophication.

How do detergent work?

A detergent molecule is made up of a water-loving head
and a grease-loving tail.

The grease-loving tail attaches to the

grease/dirt. Many detergent molecules
attach to the dirt eventually pulling it
away from the cloth to form a micelle.
The water-loving heads travels along
with the water to rinse away the dirt.

HARD AND SOFT WATER

Soft water is pure water that contains
no dissolved salts.
Hard water describes water that
contains dissolved salts. These are
mainly calcium and magnesium ions.
Temporary hardness can be removed
by boiling the water. Boiling solidifies the calcium salts so they can be filtered out and removed.
Permanent hardness can be removed by adding washing soda (sodium carbonate) or by using
ions exchange resins. Calcium carbonate solidifies the calcium ions so they can be filtered out
and ion exchange resins remove the calcium or magnesium ions and replace them with another
ion.

Soap reacts with hard water to form scum. Scum is a grease insoluble salt of calcium or
magnesium.
SOAP
+ HARD WATER
sodium stearate + calcium ion

SCUM
calcium stearate (insoluble salt)

Scouring powders these are use to clean and remove materials stuck onto surfaces.
They contain these main ingredients:

Bleaching powder;
Detergent;
Insoluble ash;
Perfumes
Borax

remove the colour of the stain and kill microbes e.g. chlorine
remove grease and oil
act as an abrasive to mechanically remove stuck on material
add fragrance
neutralise acidic stains

Others Cleaning Agents

Disinfectants kill microbes without causing discoloration of fabrics and surfaces
Antiseptics Kill microbes but are designed to be used on the skin
Deodorants Mask odours produced by bacteria feeding on skin secretions, kill bacteria or
prevent sweating.