Mixtures

A mixture is made from two or more substances that are not chemically bonded together. The substances in a mixture can be elements, compounds, or both.

The chemical properties of the substances do not change when the substances are part of a mixture. This is because the substances are not chemically bonded together. For example, adding salt to water will not change how acidic the water is.

However, the physical properties of the mixture can be different from the physical properties of the substances in the mixture. For example, the melting point of ice mixed with salt is lower than the melting point of ice.

Figure 1 - A mixture of salt and water. The large yellow and purple circles represent the salt ions. Water is represented by the red circle connected to the two smaller circles.