Air is a ______

Answer: Option A. Air is a homogeneous mixture.

Air is a homogeneous mixture. This means its components are uniformly distributed and exist in a single phase throughout the sample. In daily life, it means that irrespective of where you sample air (atop a mountain/beside a busy road), he relative proportions of its major gases stay constant. In this article, you will get the answer to the above question, understand what makes air homogeneous, and why air isn’t a compound. Keep reading to get your answers/

What Makes Air Homogeneous?

Air is is homogeneous mixture due to several factors. These reasons include;

1. Air has a uniform composition. It mainly consists of nitrogen (≈78%), oxygen (≈21%), argon (≈0.93%), carbon dioxide (≈0.04%), and trace gases. This blends so well that no distinct regions of different composition can be identified.
2. All components in the air are in the gaseous phase. This makes a one-phase system without visible boundaries between gases.
3. Solution of gases- As per chemistry, solutions do not have to be liquid. Gases dissolve in one another, and the result is a gaseous solution.  Similarly, Air is a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen gases.

Why Isn’t Air a Compound?

Air is a homogeneous mixture. It is not a compound. A compound comprises chemically bonded elements in fixed ratios (e.g., H₂O has two hydrogen atoms bonded to one oxygen). Conversely, air components retain their chemical identities and can be separated by physical means like fractional distillation. This confirms that air is not a compound.

Contrast with Heterogeneous Mixtures

Heterogeneous mixtures generally show phase boundaries (e.g., oil and water). Air is a homogeneous mixture, but it is different. It does not have any such specifications. Therefore, you cannot see pockets of pure oxygen or nitrogen in the atmosphere. 

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