Is air a homogeneous mixture, a hetrogeneous mixture, or a compound?

markswood

Homogeneous mixtures are mixtures that have definite, consistent properties. Particles are uniformly spread. For example, any amount of a given mixture has the same composition and properties. Examples are solutions and some alloys (but not all). A homogeneous mixture is a uniform mixture consisting of only one phase. Examples are gasoline and margarine. Heterogeneous mixtures are mixtures with inconsistent, non-uniform composition. The parts of a heterogeneous composition can be mechanically separated from each other. Examples include salad, trail mix and granite. A chemical compound is a substance consisting of two or more different elements chemically bonded together in a fixed proportion by mass. Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_compound Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixture Based on the above definitions I would say that air is heterogeneous. It has varying amounts of oxygen depending on altitude, varying amounts of particulate matter depending on industrial proximity etc. Feb 07 08, 11:31 AM

great2beme

Air would be a compound consisting of Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen and Argon. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air Feb 07 08, 1:56 PM