Final answer:
An element is a pure substance consisting of only one type of atom, a compound is made up of two or more elements in a fixed ratio chemically bonded together, and mixtures are physical combinations of two or more substances which can be homogeneous or heterogeneous. White wine is a homogeneous mixture, mercury is an element, ranch-style salad dressing is a heterogeneous mixture, and table sugar (sucrose) is a compound.
Step-by-step explanation:
Identification of Substances
When categorizing substances, we must understand the core differences between elements, compounds, and mixtures:
- Elements are pure substances consisting of only one type of atom.
- Compounds are substances formed by the chemical combination of two or more elements in a fixed ratio.
- Mixtures can be either heterogeneous or homogeneous, consisting of two or more substances physically combined.
Now, let's identify each given substance:
- White wine is a homogeneous mixture (solution) because it is a blend of various compounds that are evenly distributed throughout the liquid.
- Mercury is an element; it is a pure substance with only mercury atoms.
- Ranch-style salad dressing is a heterogeneous mixture as it contains various components that are not uniformly distributed.
- Table sugar (sucrose) is a compound because it is made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms in a specific chemical arrangement.
Understanding these distinctions is crucial for many chemical processes and scientific analyses.