Question

Air is a mixture of gases. Give reasons.

Answer 1

Air is a Mixture because of the following reasons:

1. Air is a homogeneous mixture of the gaseous substances nitrogen, oxygen, and smaller amounts of other substances.
2. Air is a mixture of different gasses like N₂ (78%), O₂(21%), argon (1%), carbon CO₂ (0.03%), and water vapor. The composition of these gasses is not fixed. For example, the proportion of carbon dioxide in cities is greater than that in rural areas. The amount of water vapor is greater in the rainy season than in the dry season.
3. Air can be separated into its constituents such as oxygen, nitrogen, etc. by fractional distillation of liquid air.
4. Air shows the properties of all the gasses present in it. For Example, Air supports combustion because of the oxygen present in the air. As oxygen is important for combustion.
5. Air has a variable composition because at different places different amounts of gasses are present in the air. Due to pollution, the air has variable composition not fixed at all places.