Honors Chemistry Review for Unit on Classification of Matter
Provide the best, complete, detailed, yet concise response. Show all equations, work, significant
figures, and units for problems. Use dimensional analysis whenever possible.
Classify the following as heterogeneous mixture, solution, compound, or element.
a. air
d. india ink
g. paper
j. wood’s metal
b. chromium
e. apple
h. wood alcohol
k. table salt
(noniodized)
c. milk
f. water
i. vinegar
l. spring steel
How would one determine if a piece of fabric advertised as a 50% - 50% wool – polyester was a
heterogeneous or homogeneous mixture?
What element is always found in organic molecules?
Classify as organic or inorganic:
a.) acetaminophen - C8H9NO2
b.) muriatic acid – HCl
c.) isopropanol – C3H8O
d.) caustic potash – KOH
e.) caffeine - C8H10N4O2
f.) lime – CaO
How many phases are present in a glass of soda on ice? They are? How many interfaces are there?
They are?
Classify each of the following changes as chemical or physical.
a.) fading of dye in cloth
e.) growth of a plant
b.) melting of ice
f.) production of light by an electric lamp
c.) healing of a wound
g.) digestion of food
d.) formation of clouds
h.) making rock candy by evaporation of water from
sugar solution
Honors Chemistry Review for Unit on Classification of Matter
Page 2
Classify the following properties as extensive or intensive.
a.) length
d.) color
b.) melting point
e.) odor
c.) mass
f.) density
Classify the following properties as chemical or physical.
a.) porosity
e.) reacts with air
b.) color
f.) reactivity
c.) odor
g.) melting point
d.) stability
h.) ductility
i.) rusting
j.) solubility
k.) flammability
l.) expansion
How does a phase differ from a state?
Estimate the number of phases and interfaces present in an ice-cream soda complete with whipped
cream and a cherry.
Explain how a mixture may be either heterogeneous or homogeneous. Use examples in your
explanation.
Explain why a solution is always a mixture, but not every mixture is a solution.
How are solutions defined?
Ethanol and water will form a solution. How is it determined which one is solute and which one is
solvent?
Table sugar is dissolved in a hot cup of coffee. What is the solvent of the resulting solution? What is the
solute?
Honors Chemistry Review for Unit on Classification of Matter
Page 3
An emerald is formed when a chromium atom replaces some aluminum atoms in certain aluminum
compounds. Differentiate between an element and a compound. How is it possible for an element to
occur within a compound?
Differentiate between a mixture and a compound.
Human blood is composed of many materials, such as proteins, that are organic and other substances
that are inorganic, such as iron and water. What is the basic difference between organic and inorganic
substances?
When would fractional crystallization be used to separate components of a solution?
How is distillation used to separate a solution of two liquids? What is the main physical property that
must be considered when performing a distillation?
Classify the following changes as chemical or physical.
a.) exploding nitroglycerin
d.) shredding financial documents
b.) digging out a basement
e.) burning coal
c.) kicking a football
f.) precipitating lead(II) iodide
Which of the following involve a change of state(phase)?
a.) allowing soup to cool
c.) soldering a transistor circuit board
b.) pouring OJ (NOT SIMPSON) into a glass
d.) grinding peppercorns on a salad
The steps in the combustion process for a four stroke engine are shown. State whether the change that
takes place in the gasoline-air mixture is in the cylinder of step 2 and step 3 is chemical or physical.
Honors Chemistry Review for Unit on Classification of Matter
Page 4
Classify the properties as chemical or physical.
a.) thermal conductivity
c.) volume
b.) combustibility
d.) temperature
Two liquids are given to you. One is a compound; the other a solution. How could you determine
experimentally which is which?
People often refer to wood, paper, milk, paint, and other materials as “substances.” How would
you explain to a person that paint is not a substance? How could you demonstrate the difference
between paint and a true substance?
What are the properties of glass and plastic that make them interchangeable for some uses? How
are these materials different?
Methane is often used as home heating fuel. When it burns, carbon dioxide and water are formed.
What elements does methane contain if the oxygen in these two compounds comes from the air?
A certain solution contains equal amounts of table salt and sugar. How might the salt be separated
from the sugar?
Could distillation be used to separate air into its components?
Classify the following materials as heterogeneous mixtures, solutions, compounds, or elements.
a.) orthoclase
d.) granite
b.) leather
e.) corn syrup
c.) zirconium
f.) limonite
Aluminum, titanium, and magnesium have properties useful for aircraft production. What are
these properties?
Physical changes are often used to separate two or more substances in a mixture. What physical
change and what properties could be used to separate each of the following pairs?
a.) iron filings and aluminum filings
b.) rubies and emeralds
c. sand and water
Honors Chemistry Review for Unit on Classification of Matter
KEY
Provide the best, complete, detailed, yet concise response. Show all equations, work, significant
figures, and units for problems. Use dimensional analysis whenever possible.
Classify the following as heterogeneous mixture, solution, compound, or element.
a. air solution
d. india ink heterogeneous mixture g. paper heterogeneous mixture
b. chromium element
e. apple heterogeneous mixture
h. wood alcohol compound
c. milk heterogeneous mixture
f. water compound
i. vinegar solution
j. wood’s metal solution
k. table salt (noniodized) compound l. spring steel solution
How would one determine if a piece of fabric advertised as a 50% - 50% wool – polyester was a
heterogeneous or homogeneous mixture?
Visually examine under a conventional microscope
What element is always found in organic molecules?
Classify as organic or inorganic:
a.) acetaminophen - C8H9NO2 organic
b.) muriatic acid – HCl inorganic
c.) isopropanol – C3H8O organic
C, carbon
d.) caustic potash – KOH inorganic
e.) caffeine - C8H10N4O2 organic
f.) lime – CaO inorganic
How many phases are present in a glass of soda on ice? (Ignore straws) They are? How many
interfaces are there? They are?
Soda, ice, carbonation (CO2), glass, air within glass above soda – therefore 5
Glass – air; glass-soda; glass – CO2 ; glass-ice; soda – ice; soda-air; soda – CO2; ice-CO2 ; ice-air;
CO2-air
Classify each of the following changes as chemical or physical.
a.) fading of dye in cloth chemical
e.) growth of a plant chemical
b.) melting of ice physical
f.) production of light by an electric lamp physical
c.) healing of a wound chemical
g.) digestion of food chemical
d.) formation of clouds physical
h.) making rock candy by evaporation of water from
sugar solution physical
Honors Chemistry Review for Unit on Classification of Matter
Page 2
Classify the following properties as extensive or intensive.
a.) length extensive
d.) color intensive
b.) melting point intensive
e.) odor intensive
c.) mass extensive
f.) density intensive
Classify the following properties as chemical or physical.
a.) porosity physical
e.) reacts with air chemical
b.) color physical
f.) reactivity chemical
c.) odor physical
g.) melting point physical
d.) stability chemical
h.) ductility physical
i.) rusting chemical
j.) solubility physical
k.) flammability chemical
l.) expansion physical
How does a phase differ from a state? Phases are uniform regions of matter having a single set of
properties. A state is a form of matter commonly found to be solid, liquid, or gas.
Estimate the number of phases and interfaces present in an ice-cream soda complete with whipped
cream and a cherry.
Soda, ice cream, straw, cherry, whipped cream, glass, CO2 (carbonation), air – 9
Soda-glass; soda-ice cream; soda-straw; soda – CO2; soda-air; soda-whipped cream; ice cream –
whipped cream; ice cream-glass; ice cream-straw; ice cream – CO2; cherry – air; cherry-whipped
cream; straw-air; straw-whipped cream; straw-CO2; glass-air;
Explain how a mixture may be either heterogeneous or homogeneous. Use examples in your
explanation.
A mixture must contain at least two materials. If the materials are uniformly distributed, as in
sweetened iced tea or vinegar, then it is a homogeneous mixture commonly referred to as a solution
and appears as one phase. If the materials are not uniformly distributed as in a tossed salad or
concrete, then it is a heterogeneous mixture and is observed as having two or more distinct phases.
Explain why a solution is always a mixture, but not every mixture is a solution.
How are solutions defined?
All solutions are homogeneous mixtures consisting of two or more uniformly distributed materials
represented as a single phase. However, some mixtures are heterogeneous and lack uniform
distribution and therefore, are present in multiple phases.
A solution is defined as a solute dissolved in a solvent.
Ethanol and water will form a solution. How is it determined which one is solute and which one is
solvent?
The solute will be the component existing in the lesser amount while the solvent is the component
existing in the greater amount.
Table sugar is dissolved in a hot cup of coffee. What is the solvent of the resulting solution? What is the
solute?
The solvent is the water component of the coffee. The solute is the sugar.
Honors Chemistry Review for Unit on Classification of Matter
Page 3
An emerald is formed when a chromium atom replaces some aluminum atoms in certain aluminum
compounds. Differentiate between an element and a compound.
An element is a substance and is the simplest form of uniquely identifiable matter. It cannot be
further simplified by chemical means. It consists of only one type of atom.
A compound consists of two or more types of chemically bonded atoms in a fixed ratio by mass.
Compounds may be further simplified by chemical means.
Differentiate between a mixture and a compound.
Mixture
1) Variable composition
Compound_________
Fixed composition
2) Separated by physical means
Separated by chemical means
3) Components retain properties
Component elements lose properties
Human blood is composed of many materials, such as proteins, that are organic and other substances
that are inorganic, such as iron and water. What is the basic difference between organic and inorganic
substances?
Organic materials have the element carbon chemically present while inorganic materials do not have
the element carbon. Exceptions would be the oxides of carbon, the carbonates, or when carbon
assumes an ionic character. These would be inorganic rather than organic.
When would fractional crystallization be used to separate components of a solution?
Fractional crystallization maybe used for solutions containing solutes with widely different solubilities
for a given set of conditions, especially temperature.
How is distillation used to separate a solution of two liquids? What is the main physical property that
must be considered when performing a distillation?
The solution is heated until one of the liquid components starts to vaporize. The vapor is collected and
channeled through a condenser returning the component to its liquid phase. The component is then
caught in a receiving flask (container). Once the first component is removed, the remaining solution is
further heated, increasing in temperature, until the next component starts to vaporize. It runs
through the same process as the first. This is repeated until all components have been separated and
captured.
For increased purity, the components should then be run through additional distillations.
The important property to consider is the boiling point of each component in the mixture. It is hard to
separate components with similar boiling points.
Classify the following changes as chemical or physical.
a.) exploding nitroglycerin chemical
b.) digging out a basement physical
c.) kicking a football physical
d.) shredding financial documents physical
e.) burning coal chemical
f.) precipitating lead(II) iodide chemical
Which of the following involve a change of state(phase)?
a.) allowing soup to cool
c.) soldering a transistor circuit board solid to liquid to solid
b.) pouring OJ (NOT SIMPSON) into a glass
d.) grinding peppercorns on a salad
The steps in the combustion process for a four stroke engine are shown. State whether the change that
takes place in the gasoline-air mixture is in the cylinder of step 2 and step 3 is chemical or physical.
The change in Step Two is a physical change. The change in Step Three is a chemical change.
Honors Chemistry Review for Unit on Classification of Matter
Classify the properties as chemical or physical.
a.) thermal conductivity physical
b.) combustibility chemical
Page 4
c.) volume physical
d.) temperature physical
Two liquids are given to you. One is a compound; the other a solution. How could you determine
experimentally which is which?
Heat each. The liquid/solvent of a liquid solution would be driven off via boiling/evaporating
leaving a residue behind. The compound will either be changed into a vapor/gas upon heating
leaving nothing behind or will not change.
People often refer to wood, paper, milk, paint, and other materials as “substances.” How would
you explain to a person that paint is not a substance? How could you demonstrate the difference
between paint and a true substance?
Substances are composed of only one material, therefore; they are uniform throughout and exist in
a single phase. Paint, when left stand has its solids drop out of the liquid component. That is why
paint is always stirred or shaken prior to use.
What are the properties of glass and plastic that makes them interchangeable for some uses? How
are these materials different?
Glass and plastic may both be solid, clear, resistant to chemical attack. Plastic is organic in nature
(polymeric) and while solid has greater flexibility.
Methane is often used as home heating fuel. When it burns, carbon dioxide and water are formed.
What elements does methane contain if the oxygen in these two compounds comes from the air?
The methane contains carbon as found in carbon dioxide, CO2, and hydrogen as found in water,
H2O. Methane’s actual formula is CH4.
A certain solution contains equal amounts of table salt and sugar. How might the salt be separated
from the sugar?
If salt and sugar have significantly different solubilities, fractional crystallization may be used. In
researching it appears sucrose has a solubility of 211 g per 100 g of water at 25 oC. Sodium
chloride has a solubility of 36 g per 100 grams of water at 25 oC.
Could distillation be used to separate air into its components?
Yes. Compress and cool the air until it liquefies. Then allow the liquid air to slowly warm. Each
component will become gaseous and leave at its boiling temperature.
Classify the following materials as heterogeneous mixtures, solutions, compounds, or elements.
a.) orthoclase compound
d.) granite heterogeneous mixture
b.) leather heterogeneous mixture
e.) corn syrup solution
c.) zirconium element
f.) limonite heterogeneous mixture
Aluminum, titanium, and magnesium have properties useful for aircraft production. What are
these properties?
These metals have lower densities, strength, and are resistant to corrosion.
Physical changes are often used to separate two or more substances in a mixture. What physical
change and what properties could be used to separate each of the following pairs?
a.) iron filings and aluminum filings Drag a magnet through the pile which will pull out the iron
filings leaving the aluminum behind.
b.) rubies and emeralds Physically separate by color as rubies are red and emeralds are green.
c. sand and water Filter through filter paper. The water will pass and the sand will be trapped. This
is a heterogeneous mixture.