• What is a smorgasbord?
• Examples of heterogeneous mixtures
• Heterogeneous mixture and homogeneous mixture
• How to make a smorgasbord?

We explain what a heterogeneous mixture is, how it is done and various examples. Also, differences with a homogeneous mixture.

In heterogeneous mixtures the components can be distinguished.

What is a smorgasbord?

A heterogeneous mixture is a material composed of the union of two or more substances not chemically bound. Its fundamental characteristic is that its components are usually easily distinguished from each other. This type of mixture It is not the product of a chemical reactionAlthough the mixture itself can then lead to some kind of reaction.

A heterogeneous mixture can be composed of solid, liquids, gases, or combinations between them. Generally these mixtures are produced by mechanical mixing procedures, during which no significant changes occur in the constituent substances of the mixture.

However, although substances retain their identities, mixing can lead to suspensions, colloids and other forms whose separation is not so simple.

To separate the components of a mixture there are mixing separation mechanisms, which are usually physical procedures through which these components can be separated. Some examples are:

• Decantation
• Evaporation
• Filtration
• Sieving
• Centrifugation
• Magnetic separation
• Dissolution

Some of these mechanisms (such as filtration, sieving, centrifugation, and magnetic separation) can serve to separate heterogeneous mixtures with little effort. In the case of homogeneous mixtures, which are those mixtures in which the substances that comprise it cannot be distinguished with the naked eye, more complex procedures must be used to separate the elements.

Examples of heterogeneous mixtures

Concrete is a mixture of water, cement, and other solids.

Some examples of heterogeneous mixtures are:

• The concrete. It is a mixture of cement, Water and arid in proportions specific to form a paste that is used in construction.
• The water with oil. It is a mixture formed by these two elements that, being immiscible, remain apart from each other (together but not scrambled) forming clearly recognizable bubbles.
• The paste. It is a mixture made up of flour and water, in which the union of both materials can be clearly seen and, although they cannot be easily separated, the solid can be distinguished from the liquid with the naked eye.
• A salad. It is a smorgasbord of various vegetables, seeds, and other types of food that are eaten together, but that can be separated.
• Air and gasoline. It is a mixture of fuel Y air that is carried out inside a motor of combustion internal that allows the controlled explosion of the fuel that generates the movement.

Oil and vinegar	Shaving foam	Mayonnaise
Aerosol	Soft drinks	Pizza
Water with oil	Granite	Salt and pepper
Water with sand	Big wave	Blood
Kerosene water	Smoke	Smog
Broth	Oat soap	Soda
Cereal with milk	Fruit juice with pulp	Vegetable soup
Beer	Wash	I usually
Nail polish	Milk	Chinese ink

Heterogeneous mixture and homogeneous mixture

The fundamental difference between a heterogeneous mixture and a homogeneous mixture is that in the first case the components can be more or less easily identified with the naked eye, while in homogeneous mixtures it is impossible to identify the components with the naked eye.

A homogeneous mixture does not allow us to distinguish its components, despite the fact that there has not been a chemical reaction between them and they remain individual.

A clear example of a homogeneous mixture is the mixture of water and alcohol. Although both continue to preserve their identities, it is impossible to distinguish one from the other and, therefore, their separation requires procedures that take into account the chemical nature of each one, such as decantation or selective evaporation.

How to make a smorgasbord?

In everyday life heterogeneous mixtures can be made easily.

Making a heterogeneous mixture is very simple, you simply have to mechanically combine two or more materials that can be recognized with the naked eye. Mechanical combining can be done by physically combining them, shaking them in a container, or mixing them in the same container.

For example: If we take a paper hole punch and choose several different colored sheets of paper, we will be able to punch them several times each and accumulate a set of different colored paper circles inside the device. If we think that each color represents a different component, we are in the presence of a heterogeneous mixture.