The Amazing World of Chemistry

A mixture is the blending of two or more dissimilar substances that do not chemically combine to form compounds and that can typically be separated by non-chemical means. Mixtures can be classified into three types: suspension mixture, colloidal mixture or a solution, according to how they combine and can be separated.




Questions you may have include:

• What is a suspension mixture?
• What is a colloidal mixture?
• What is a solution?

Suspension mixture
A suspension mixture is usually created by stirring together two or more ingredients, where particles of one substance are large enough to settle out of another substance.. The ingredients of a suspension mixture are heterogeneous, meaning that they are not evening distributed throughout.





Solution
A solution is a homogeneous mixture where one substance is dissolved in another substance. Solutions are mixtures, because they are not chemically combined, but they appear to be of those that are chemically combined, compounds. Their particles are so small, that they will not separate when poured through a filter paper or scatter light. The solute dissolves in the solvent. The solvent is a liquid or gas, and the solute can be a solid, liquid or gas.



Colloids
 A colloid has the properties of both a suspension and a solution. It's particles are relatively small, for they cannot be filtered nor settle out, but they can scatter light. These are also known as colloidal dispersions because the substances remain dispersed and don't settle to the bottom. In a colloid one substance is evenly dispersed in another. The substance being dispersed is referred to as being in the dispersed phase, while the substance in which it is dispersed is in the continuous phase.