Matter is made up of particles

Is matter pure?

For a long time, two schools of thought prevailed regarding the

nature of matter.
One school believed matter to be continuous like a block
of wood, whereas,
The other thought that matter was made up of particles like sand.
Let us perform an activity to decide about the nature of matter is it continuous or particulate?

As per principle of churning, the lighter components stay at the top when a mixture
of liquids are spun rapidly.

Matter Classification
Matter is a substance that occupy space and has mass.
Matter exists in three states.
Solid
Liquid
Gas

It can be broadly divided into two major groups.

Pure gold

i) Pure and
ii) Impure (mixture)

Raw gold

In chemistry, the term 'purity' acquires quite a different meaning from what we understand it
to be in our day-to-day life.
Normally, when we refer to pure water, pure milk, etc., what is implied is that the water, milk

etc., are free from harmful substances such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, etc., or are not
adulterated.
'Purity' as a chemical concept signifies something quite different.

The Three States of Water

When we dissolve salt in water, the particles of salt get

into the spaces between particles of water.

Matter Classification
When we say a substance is pure, it means that the constituent particles that make up the
substance are of only one type and have the same chemical nature.

For example, in chemical terms, pure water implies that it is made of only one type of molecule, i.e.,
H2O.
Accordingly, the chemical classification of matter specifies two main categories of

substances, pure substances and mixtures (impure substances).

Matter Classification (Flowchart)

Thus we can conclude that mixtures are
of

two

types,

homogeneous

and

heterogeneous. Do you know that these

can again be classified into different

kinds? Let us find out.

Solubility and Solutions

Some substances are able to dissolve other materials. If you put
sugar into water, the water will dissolve the sugar. The sugar will
soon disappear (sugar molecules are dissolved in the water)
Solubility - the property describing how much of a material can
be dissolved.

Salt has a high solubility in water. We can dissolve a lot of salt in water.

Pepper is not soluble in water. We can say pepper is insoluble in water.

Solution - a special type of mixture where one of the components mixes evenly throughout
(dissolves) so that you cant visibly see one of the parts.

Dissolving a substance is an example of a phyiscal change. The substance is STILL THERE, and
hasnt been changed into anything new!

Homogeneous

Solutions

Air around you, Brass, Table salt/ sugar stirred into

water, etc.

Heterogeneous
Oil and vinegar dressing & Sand stirred into water

Methods of separating mixtures

Decant
Evaporation
Centrifuge
Filtration
Crystallization
Solvent extraction
Distillation
Chromatography

Methods of separating mixtures (traditional methods)

Threshing

Pebbles and stones are

removed from sand by sieving

Winnowing

Handpicking stones from grain

Separating two components of a

mixture by sedimentation and
decantation

Evaporation and
condensation

Sieving

Evaporation

Separation of Heterogeneous Mixture by Filtration

A technique that uses a porous barrier to separate a solid
from a liquid

Separating tea leaves

with a strainer

Filtration of liquid and solid mixture

Separation of Homogeneous Mixture by Crystallization

A technique that results in the formation of pure solid particles of
a substance from a solution containing the dissolved substance

Separation of Heterogeneous Mixture by Distillation

Separation of Homogeneous Mixture by Distillation

A technique that is based on differences in the boiling points of substances

Separation of two miscible liquids by distillation

Separation of Homogeneous Mixture by Fractional Distillation

A technique that is based on small differences in the boiling points of substances

Separation of Heterogeneous Mixture by Sublimation

A technique that is based on differences in the sublimation state of substances

Separation of ammonium chloride and salt by sublimation

Separation of Homogeneous Mixture by Solvent Extraction

Separation of Homogeneous Mixture by Paper & TLC Chromatography

A technique that separates the components of a mixture on the basis of the
tendency of each to travel or be drawn across the surface of another material

Separation of dyes in black ink using paper & TLC chromatography

Separation of components of air

Water purification system in water works

Tyndall effect
When a beam of light is passed through a colloidal solution, the colloid particles scatter
the beam of light and the path of light becomes visible in the solution. This effect is called
Tyndall effect.
Tyndall effect can be seen when light enters a room through a small hole due to scattering
of light by the dust and smoke particles.
Tyndall effect can be seen in a dense forest due to scattering of light by water droplets in
the mist.

What you have learnt?

A mixture contains more than one substance (element and/or

compound) mixed in any proportion.
Mixtures can be separated into pure substances using appropriate
separation techniques.
A solution is a homogeneous mixture of two or more substances. The major component of a
solution is called the solvent, and the minor, the solute.
The concentration of a solution is the amount of solute present per unit volume or per unit mass of
the solution/ solvent.
Materials that are insoluble in a solvent and have particles that are visible to naked eyes, form a
suspension. A suspension is a heterogeneous mixture.
Colloids are heterogeneous mixtures in which the particle size is too small to be seen with the
naked eye, but is big enough to scatter light. The particles are called the dispersed phase and the
medium in which they are distributed is called the dispersion medium.
Pure substances can be elements or compounds. An element is a form of matter that cannot be
broken down by chemical reactions into simpler substances. A compound is a substance
composed of two or more different types of elements, chemically combined in a fixed proportion.
Properties of a compound are different from its constituent elements, whereas a mixture shows
the properties of its constituting elements or compounds.