Is butter a heterogeneous mixture

Answer 1

Butter is considered a heterogeneous mixture because it is composed of multiple phases that are visibly distinguishable. Butter is made up of water, milk solids, and butterfat, which are not uniformly distributed throughout the mixture. When butter is left at room temperature, you can see the separation of these components, confirming its heterogeneous nature.

Answer 2

When you melt butter, you'll find milk solids floating on the surface. This means that the mixture itself has indeed been separated, heterogenization, that is - it has lost it's uniformity. A heterogeneous mixture is one that has phases in which the particles can be separated by physical means - heat being one of them. By appearance, butter does seem to be a homogeneous mixture - when you spread it, it is indeed uniform throughout. But because it's particles can be physically segregated, it is otherwise a homogeneous mixture.

So yes, because it's particles can be separated physically, it is classed as a heterogeneous mixture.

Blood is also a good example. Seemingly homogeneous - but when you place it in a centrifuge, it separates into the red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and the blood plasma.

Hope this clears up your question about heterogeneous mixtures