Are air and water mixtures or compounds?

-
Ellen Hederick
February 5, 2019
Mixtures Blog


Are air and water mixtures or compounds? How do you know?
The definition of a mixture is a substance made by mixing other substances together. So, is air a mixture, compound, or an element? This is a tough question to answer because there's two sides of the story, some people believe that mair is a mixture but others seem to believe that air is not a mixture. I believe that air is a mixture, but I can also see it from others eyes who say that it is not. Here are some reasons to back up air being a mixture. Air is a homogeneous mixture, not a compound, the components of a mixture can be separated once they have been combined; a compound on the other hand is a brand new substance formed by a reaction between components. A couple reasons air is considered to be a mixture are that ar does not have a fixed formula as other elements and compounds do. “Air has a variable composition because air at different places contains different amount of gases”. Also  mixtures don’t have a perfect fixed boiling point either so this holds in good case of liquid air, air also has a variable composition. Also each component of air can be separated by a fairly simple physical process, and each component in air retains its properties. “Air is a mixture of various gases, water vapor, dust and microbes. All the constituents of air are mixed in any proportion and are not chemically bonded. These gases and water vapor are not uniformly distributed everywhere and this is why air is considered a mixture”. Overall air is not a mixture because of scientists freezing it and finding it different types of liquids.

While air (to me) is not considered a mixture water could be different. Water is a solution or a substance, in more depth, water is composed of two different solutions/elements water and oxygen, because of this water is known to be a compound not a element or a mixture of some kind. While just basic water or H2o is not considered to be a mixture, or an element, salt water is different. Salt water is considered to be a homogenous mixture or solution. We know this because salt water acts as if it were a single substance even though it contains two different substances being salt, and water. “A compound forms whenever two or more atoms form chemical bonds with each other. The chemical formula for water is H2O, which means each molecule of water consists of one oxygen atom chemically bonded to two hydrogen atoms”. Therefore this quote shows and proves that water is a compound. Even Though water is a compound it is also a molecule. A molecule is any chemical species formed by two or more atoms chemically bonded to each other. Overall the term molecule and the term compound are the same thing or they have the overall same meaning, and these two words can be used interchangeably talking about certain things. Air is not a mixture but a compound and a molecule.

In conclusion water and air are not necessarily elements or mixtures but they are compounds and molecules. But this was a personal opinion based on the research I read and what was most commonly said, so other people might think differently. These two compounds; water and air and whether they are compounds or mixtures may not be specifically used in real life, but when people ask certain questions this research may help them find the answer to the question that they are looking for! In conjunction with that, a frequently asked question is, are water and air elements, and this scientific research could help someone understand whether they are or not and why. People also ask and wonder if they are mixtures or not and this topic could also help them answer that question too. Also taking what we know about water and air and whether they are mixtures or compounds could help scientists figure out if other elements that they are newly studying are compounds or mixtures etc. Scientists could apply the scientific research they have conducted on these two compounds and use it to find out other further questions they may have about new or existing elements, mixtures or compounds.





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mahar-ullah Shahminah- Molecular Gastronomy

-
Image
Molecular Gastronomy   By: Shahminah Mahar-ullah Date:3/22/19 Molecular Gastronomy is both a fusion of science and cooking. The scientific discipline gives the chef complete control of what the texture, taste, and physical appearance of the dish. Molecular Gastronomy is a modern unique style of cooking that some would say it could be considered art. There are three aspects of Molecular Gastronomy, as i said before it is texture,taste,and physical appearance. Molecular Gastronomy can have a very simple and familiar taste or a new and unique taste. Taste is often a aspect that is forgotten about in Molecular Gastronomy. Mostly because people who don't know much about the style of cooking kinda forget that its actually cooking ,not just some form a science. Taste is the main focus with cooking in general and with molecular cooking taste can be brought to a whole new level since you have complete control over each part of the dish. Same goes for physical appearance and ...
Read more

Chemically termolecular reactions: The fourth class of chemical reactions

-
Image
Chemically termolecular reactions: The fourth class of chemical reactions Maisy Chase Up until now only three classes of chemical reactions were known. Unimolecular reactions occur when one reactant undergoes bond breaking or forming to create different products. Bimolecular reactions are where two reactants collide and then undergo bond breaking or forming. Termolecular association reactions, where two reactants collide to form a whole with a new chemical bond between the two reactants. A third molecule, known as the bath gas, then removes some of the internal kinetic energy of that molecule to stabilize it. Researchers from Columbia University , led by Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Michael P. Burke, have discovered a fourth class of chemical reaction known as “chemically termolecular reactions.” This involves the breaking and bonding of three molecules. The team showed that these chemically termolecular reactions not only are major chemical pathways but also ...
Read more

Force and Motion

-
Image
Zach Fluck Science blog Force and Motion Blog Sir Isaac Newton was an English astronomer, physicist, and mathematician, born on December 25, 1642. He died on March 20, 1727, most likely from mercury poisoning or old age. However, during his life, he made several contributions to modern science and advanced our understanding of physics tremendously. Arguably his most famous discovery was gravity. However, he had to use his 3 laws of motion to make this accomplishment. Newton understood that an object at rest will stay at rest, unless acted on by unbalanced forces. Therefore, if an object such as an apple is in a resting position there must be a force to make the apple fall to the ground. He discovered this invisible force to be gravity. At a young age Newton was removed from school to be a farmhand. Despite returning to school the turning point in his live was he left his hometown to attend Cambridge University. After attending Cambridge he returned to his hometown where his observat...
Read more