Question

Both compounds and mixtures are formed when two or more substances combine. Then how are compounds different from mixtures?

Answer 1

The chemical composition of compounds is always fixed. A mixture can have a variable composition of the substances forming it.

Compounds are always homogeneous in nature. Mixtures can either be homogeneous or heterogeneous in nature.

The properties of compounds are unique to themselves and need not necessarily reflect the properties of the constituent elements. The constituents of a mixture do not lose their properties and so, the properties of a mixture are generally the sum of the properties of its constituents.

A new substance is formed after the constituents are chemically combined. So, a compound has different properties from its constituents. No new substances are formed in mixtures and their properties are dependent on the properties of their respective constituents.

The constituents of a compound can only be separated by either chemical or electrochemical methods (like extraction). Mixtures can be separated into their constituents via physical separation methods such as filtration. Thus, the separation of mixtures is relatively easier than the separation of chemical compounds.