Mixture Mystery: Properties Retained
Observe how components in mixtures keep their own properties.
What this lesson covers
Why it matters
Mix iron filings with yellow sulphur. The iron stays magnetic; the sulphur stays yellow. A mixture keeps every part exactly as it was.
Predict first
In a mixture of iron and sulphur, what happens to the iron's magnetism?
In a mixture every part keeps its own properties and any ratio, so you can separate them. In a compound the parts are bonded into something new.
- It keeps it — a magnet still pulls the iron out — correct
- It loses it entirely
- The sulphur becomes magnetic too
What you do
A mixture never erases its ingredients. Match each mixed-in component to the property it still shows — proof that nothing new was made.
Check yourself
How can you separate iron from an iron + sulphur mixture?
In a mixture iron keeps its magnetism, so a magnet pulls it out.
What makes it a mixture, not a compound?
Mixtures keep their parts' properties; compounds bond them into something new.
- Use a magnet — the iron is still magnetic — correct
- Heat it strongly
- You cannot separate it
- Each part keeps its properties and they aren't bonded — correct
- They form a new substance
- It is a powder