|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries: |
Research categories | Follow us on Twitter |
Research categories
View all topics in the newsView all reference sources at Encyclopedia.com |
|||
mixture
mixture in chemistry, a physical combination of two or more pure substances (i.e., elements or compounds). A mixture is distinguished from a compound, which is formed by the chemical combination of two or more pure substances in a fixed, definite proportion. The components of a mixture retain their own chemical properties and may be present in any proportion. For example, iron filings may be mixed with powdered sulfur in any proportion, and even if very fine iron powder is carefully mixed with powdered sulfur, the two components are easily separated by means of a magnet; the magnet will draw out the iron from the mixture. However, if seven parts by weight of iron filings or powder are mixed with four parts by weight of powdered sulfur and the mixture is heated to a red glow (e.g., in a test tube, using a Bunsen burner), the iron and sulfur react to form the compound iron sulfide; they are chemically combined and are not readily separated. The iron sulfide is not attracted by a magnet. Mixtures are often classified as homogeneous or heterogeneous. Solutions and colloids are homogeneous mixtures. The components of a homogeneous mixture are too intimately combined to be distinguished from one another by visual observation. A suspension is a heterogeneous mixture. The particles in a heterogeneous mixture are coarse enough to be distinguished by visual observation. Alloys are mixtures of metals and may be either homogeneous or heterogeneous. The components of a mixture usually can be separated by physical means such as distillation, evaporation, precipitation, filtration, solvent extraction, or chromatography. |
|
|
Cite this article
"mixture." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "mixture." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-mixture.html "mixture." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-mixture.html |
|
mixture
mix·ture / ˈmikschər/ • n. a substance made by mixing other substances together: form the mixture into a manageable dough | shandy is a mixture of beer and lemonade. ∎ the process of mixing or being mixed. ∎ (a mixture of) a combination of different qualities, things, or emotions in which the component elements are individually distinct: she thumped the pillow with a mixture of anger and frustration the old town is a mixture of narrow medieval streets and 18th-century architecture. ∎ a person regarded as a combination of qualities and attributes: he was a curious mixture, an unpredictable man. ∎ Chem. the product of the random distribution of one substance through another without any chemical reaction, as distinct from a compound. ∎ the charge of gas or vapor mixed with air that is admitted to the cylinder of an internal combustion engine, esp. as regards the ratio of fuel to air: newer pilots often leave their mixture rich during an entire flight. ∎ (also mixture stop) an organ stop in which each key sounds a group of small pipes of different pitches, giving a very bright tone. |
|
|
Cite this article
"mixture." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "mixture." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-mixture.html "mixture." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-mixture.html |
|
mixture
|
|
|
Cite this article
"mixture." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "mixture." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-mixture.html "mixture." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-mixture.html |
|
mixture
mixture XV. — F. mixture or L. mixtūra, f. mixt-, pp. stem of miscēre; see MIX and -TURE.
|
|
|
Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "mixture." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "mixture." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-mixture.html T. F. HOAD. "mixture." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-mixture.html |
|
mixture
mixture •catcher, dacha, focaccia, patcher, scratcher, snatcher, stature, thatcher
•facture, fracture, manufacture
•capture, enrapture, rapture
•flycatcher • oystercatcher
•archer, departure, kwacha, marcher, starcher, viscacha
•pasture
•etcher, fetcher, fletcher, lecher, sketcher, stretcher
•conjecture, lecture
•sepulture
•denture, misadventure, peradventure
•divesture, gesture, vesture
•texture • architecture • nature
•magistrature
•bleacher, creature, feature, headteacher, Katowice, Nietzsche, preacher, screecher, teacher
•schoolteacher
•ditcher, hitcher, pitcher, stitcher, twitcher
•Chibcha
•picture, stricture
•filcher • simcha
•cincture, tincture
•scripture
•admixture, commixture, fixture, intermixture, mixture
•expenditure • forfeiture
•discomfiture • garniture
•primogeniture, progeniture
•miniature • furniture • temperature
•portraiture • literature
•divestiture, vestiture
|
|
|
Cite this article
"mixture." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "mixture." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-mixture.html "mixture." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-mixture.html |
|
|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries:
HighBeam™ Research, Inc. © Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
The Encyclopedia.com advertising network includes:
