What is the difference between a mixture of iron and sulfur and the compound iron sulfide?

Answer 1

The compound would have its own properties while the elements in a mixture would keep the properties they had as elements (such as iron being magnetic). Also, the compound would have a different melting point.

Answer 2

a compound has an exact formula and the elements have changed their properties

a mixture has no exact formula and no exact structure (the molecule) in which the atoms have combined to change their properties. Ex. Nitrogen and oxygen in the air are a mixture of elements. But dinitrogen pentoxide is a compound of exactly 2 nitrogen for every 5 oxygen atoms. You should not breathe it because it combines with water in your body and forms nitric acid which would cause acid burns and possible death.

Answer 3

There is not much of a different. It is basically the same thing.

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Definitely not!

If you mix iron filings and sulphur together you will still be able to see the bits of iron and the bits of sulphur because they will not have combined chemically. The iron in the mixture has all of the usual properties of iron and the same is true for the sulphur.

Now let's look at one form of iron sulphide called iron (II) sulphide which has the formula FeS. It's a black solid. If you powder it and expose it to air it will ignite spontaneously! The mixture of iron and sulphur definitely will not. If you add hydrochloric acid to it you will get the poisonous "rotten egg" gas hydrogen sulphide. But if you add the same acid to the mixture of iron and sulphur the sulphur won't react and the iron will react to give iron sulphate and hydrogen gas which is odourless.

In short, mixing two elements is very different from combining them chemically.

Answer 4

A mixture of iron and sulfur is nonhomogeneous and can be separated in components with a magnet. Iron and sulfur can chemically react by heating forming sulfides; these sulfides cannot be separated with a magnet.

Answer 5

In the mixture iron and sulfur can be separated by physical methods; in chemical compounds physical methods are inefficient.

Answer 6

The mixture can be separated by non-chemical methods.

Answer 7

Elements in a mixture are not chemically bonded; a compound has the molecule formed by a chemical bond.