No, apple juice is not considered a pure substance.
Apple juice is a heterogenous mixture, though arguably it could be processed into a homogeneous mixture.
Is Apple Juice a Pure Substance? (Or Not?)
What Is a Pure Substance?
In science, a pure substance is a substance that is made up of only one kind of building block.
The building block could be an element, or a compound.
Some good examples of pure substances made of an element are gold, iron, mercury, and lead.
Some good examples of pure substances made of a compound are carbon dioxide, salt, and sugar.
If the substance is made up of more than one element (not bonded), more than one compound, or a compound and an element, the substance is not a pure substance.
What Is Apple Juice?
The side of the apple juice contains sometimes says that it is “100% pure.”
The definition of what is “pure” as it relates to food (or marketing) is very different from the scientific explanation.
Apple juice is actually a mixture of multiple substances (all mixed together so you can’t really tell what is what).
Apple juice is composed of several kinds of sugars (different compounds), starch, acids, esters, and much more.
Is Apple Juice a Pure Substance?
Apple juice is made up or multiple building blocks (sugars, starch, acids, and more).
Since apple juice is made up of more than one kind of building block, it cannot be considered a pure substance.
Is Apple Juice a Mixture?
Yes, apple juice would be considered a mixture.
A mixture is a material composed of more than one substance, where the substances are not bonded to each other.
In the case of apple juice, the liquid is made up of multiple kinds of different compounds that are not bonded to each other.
Since the substances are not bonded, and could be removed or separated from one another, apple juice is considered a mixture.
Is Clear Apple Juice A Pure Substance or a Mixture?
Clear apple juice is still considered a mixture.
Remember, a pure substance is a substance that is made up of only one building block.
Apple juice (even clear apple juice) is made up of water, sugars, and acids, as well as other components.
Because there is more than one component, clear apple juice is a mixture.
If clear apply juice was made up of only one building block (such as water, or one kind of sugar), then clear apple juice would be called ‘water’ or ‘sugar’ instead.
Is Apple Juice a Heterogeneous Mixture or Homogeneous Mixture?
Whether apple juice is a heterogeneous or homogeneous mixture depends upon its preparation/production.
A homogeneous mixture is one that is chemically and physically consistent throughout.
A heterogeneous mixture is one that is not chemically and physically consistent throughout.
The juice we buy in the grocery store has been pressed, but then also treated/strained/filtered to make it as homogeneous a mixture as possible.
The unfiltered juice that we’d drink directly after crushing it with an apple press by hand would not be homogeneous at all, as there would be differing amounts of sugars and other organic material from the apple.
The answer to the questions of homogeneous vs heterogeneous is that it just depends.
Is Apple Juice a Solution?
It depends on the apple juice (processed versus unfiltered and freshly pressed).
A solution is a homogeneous mixture of solute(s) dissolved into a solvent.
The solutes are generally spread out evenly and consistently throughout the solvent.
In case of apple juice, a fresh pressed apple juice is very different from processed juice.
Fresh pressed juice has solids in it, which settle to the bottom of the cup/container over time.
The dissolved materials (or even the undissolved ones) are not spread out evenly.
As a result, it cannot be called a solution.
Processed juice, on the other hand, probably could be considered a solution.
The sugars, starches, acids, and other materials dissolved into the water base of the juice are spread out evenly, as they have to be in highly processed products to maintain consistently color/flavor.
Is Apple Juice a Suspension?
It depends.
A suspension if a liquid mixture, where the parties in the liquid do not dissolve into it, but instead, float around through the solvent.
The particles in a suspension are effected by gravity.
If left alone, the particles will eventually drift down to the bottom of the container.
Apple juice can be a suspension, or it can be processed enough to where it could not be considered a suspension.
Is Apple Juice a Colloid?
No, apple juice is not considered a colloid.
A colloid is a homogeneous mixture, where the parties in the liquid are dispersed evenly throughout.
The parties in the liquid are not impacted by gravity, and just sit where they are in the liquid, even when swished or poured.
In the case of freshly pressed apple juice (before it is extensively processed), you’ve got a mix of particles that will eventually settle down towards the bottom, some parties that may remain suspended in the liquid, and some particles in the liquid that may never fall to the bottom of the material even after the passage of time.
You may observe characteristics of a mixture, a suspension, and a colloid.
But since the entire substance is not a colloid, we wouldn’t call it one.
Curious about whether other materials like steam, tea, baking powder, or chocolate are pure substances or mixtures?
