Question

a) Differentiate between homogeneous and heterogeneous mixture? [2 Marks]
b) Identify each of the following as a homogeneous or heterogeneous mixture with a reason:
i) Soda water [1 Mark]
ii) Soil [1 Mark]
iii) Fruit salad [1 Mark]

Answer 1

a) The main difference between homogeneous and heterogeneous mixtures are:
$\bullet$ Homogeneous mixture have a uniform composition throughout the mixture whereas heterogeneous does not. [1 Mark]
$\bullet$ Homogeneous mixtures have components that appear to be in the same phase and cannot be readily differentiated from one another. On the other hand, heterogeneous mixtures have components appearing in two or more different phases and cannot be readily differentiated from one another.
[1 Mark]

b) i) Soda water is a mixture of carbon dioxide and water. Soda water has the same composition throughout the mixture. This implies that soda water is a homogeneous mixture.
[1 Mark]

ii) Soil is a mixture of various substances like sand, pebbles, humus, etc. Each of these constituents can be readily differentiated from one another. Hence soil is a heterogeneous mixture.
[1 Mark]

iii) Fruit salad is a mixture of various fruits. The pieces of fruits can be easily differentiated, which means that fruit salad is a heterogeneous mixture.
[1 Mark]