There are different ways to separate mixtures, for example by filtration, crystallisation, distillation or chromatography. The method chosen depends upon the type of mixture.
The word pure is used in chemistry in a different way from its everyday meaning. For example, shops sell cartons labelled as ‘pure' orange juice. The label means that the contents are just orange juice, with no other substances added. However, the juice is not pure in the chemical sense, because it contains different substances mixed together. In chemistry:
The table shows some examples of mixtures:
Notice that the different substances in a mixture can be single atoms, molecules of elements or molecules of compounds.