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Distinguishes combinations of compounds from true compounds.

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Tricky "mixtures"

 Wait, isn't that a mixture?

Credit: YayAdrian
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/83808396@N00/4387963017/in/photolist-7FKswM-EknXz-EknWK-7A6Uz-6nTGKF-6siYjk-v7MEX-5x4p3A-5LAAGx-9oEubg-3xfA8-6jtRkp-9oHygG-5LABMM-5LESWY-5i8bJW-6U3jrz-5KNQ85-U5Ay5-2EaRv-7RUqA-bU4GPg-5Y9pTM-6FNrGc-5i8hUf-8AEj1X-dsydsQ-7pc4y-8Kfex3-6FADSe-6jy31N-U3Z8c-sTfh1-4bkaDh-bYwCH9-4a8wRd-4a8Aa9-vi1Di-c5u9PJ-4a8vEd-JBqSi-af7skv-JBqUi-aEFRst-dZmopy-ryMRh-97v32r-e1LLi5-e1F6VH-bqiBFs-Askmq
License: CC BY-NC 3.0


It seems easy enough to point out mixtures. Anytime you combine anything, it would be a mixture. Right?  For example, you’re baking a cake. You add in eggs, flour, butter and sugar and mix it together. Bubbles rise to the surface. Is this a mixture? Actually no! This is because a chemical reaction occurred between these cooking ingredients. In chemistry, a mixture is what you get when you combine substances with a way that no chemical reaction occurs.

At one point during the baking process, you do have a mixture! Can you guess when? When you mixed together only dry ingredients like flour, salt, and sugar.

Creative Applications

  1. What are other examples of mixtures?
  2. If you mix your raisins into your oatmeal, is that a mixture?
  3. Does an alloy count as a mixture? Why or why not?

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