Air is composed of nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, and other gasses. How may air be best described?
a) a compound
b) a mixture
c) a solution
d) an alloy
e) an amalgam
Well, I have no idea what an amalgam is but I would say it is a mixture because the nuclei of the individual gasses aren't fused together, so you can't say it's a compound. I wouldn't depend on my answer, however...wait until a Jiskha expert answers.
An amalgam an alloy of mercury and another metal which may be a solid or a liquid depending upon the proportions of mercury used. The answer to the question is that air is a mixture.
Air can be best described as a b) mixture.
To determine the correct answer, we need to understand the definitions of the terms provided.
A compound is a substance formed by the chemical combination of two or more elements in fixed proportions. Air does not fit this definition because it is not chemically combined.
A solution is a homogeneous mixture in which one substance, known as the solute, is uniformly distributed in another substance called the solvent. Air does not fit this definition either because it does not have a solute-solvent relationship.
An alloy is a mixture of metals or a mixture of a metal and a non-metal. Since air does not contain metals, it cannot be considered an alloy.
An amalgam is a type of alloy that specifically involves mercury. Since air does not contain mercury, it cannot be described as an amalgam.
Therefore, the best description for air is a mixture as it consists of a combination of different gases, including nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, and others, without undergoing any chemical reactions or fixed proportions.