Question

Ice cubes are placed inside a glass of water on a hot day. Before the ice cubes melt, is this an example of a heterogeneous or a homogeneous mixture? Briefly explain.

Answer 1

A homogeneous mixture is a mixture where the components that make up the mixture are uniformly distributed throughout the mixture. The composition of the mixture is the same throughout.

There is only one phase of matter observed in a homogeneous mixture.

A heterogeneous mixture is a mixture where the components of the mixture are not uniform or have localized regions with different properties. Different samples from the mixture are not identical to each other.

There are always two or more phases in a heterogeneous mixture, where you can identify a region with properties that are distinct from those of another region, even if they are the same state of matter (.e.g., liquid, solid).

So, Before the ice cubes melt, as it is a mixture of 2 phases , it is a heterogeneous mixture. After ice cubes melt, it is a homogeneous mixture