Formulations include fuels, cleaning agents, paints, medicines, alloys,…

The idea

Formulations appear across many areas of chemistry and everyday life. Petrol is a blend of hydrocarbons chosen to burn efficiently in engines. Cleaning agents combine surfactants, water, fragrance and preservatives. Paints contain pigment, binder, solvent and additives that control drying and coverage. Medicines combine an active ingredient with fillers, binders and coatings that control dose and release. Alloys such as steel are mixtures of metals with small amounts of other elements added to improve strength or resistance to corrosion. Fertilisers supply nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compounds in measured proportions for plant growth. Foods contain ingredients such as preservatives, colourings, flavourings and nutrients combined to give taste, texture and shelf life. Recognising these examples helps you identify formulations in unfamiliar contexts.

What earns the marks

• Fuels are formulations of hydrocarbons and additives blended to give suitable burning properties.
• Cleaning agents contain surfactants plus other components such as water, fragrance, colourant and preservative.
• Paints are formulations of pigment, binder, solvent and additives that together give colour, adhesion and durability.
• Medicines combine an active ingredient with other components that affect dose, stability or delivery.
• Alloys are mixtures of a metal with other elements added to improve properties such as strength or corrosion resistance.
• Fertilisers and foods are formulations in which components are combined in measured amounts for a specific purpose.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Describing an alloy as a compound.

  Put it right: An alloy is a mixture of metals or of a metal with other elements.

• Thinking a medicine contains only the active ingredient.

  Put it right: It also contains other components that affect how it is used or stored.

• Assuming all paints are the same formulation.

  Put it right: Different paints contain different pigments, binders and solvents chosen for their intended use.

Exam tips

• Learn one example from each category and be ready to name its main components.
• When given an unfamiliar product, decide whether it is a formulation by checking for several components with different roles.
• Use correct chemical vocabulary such as pigment, binder, surfactant and alloy rather than everyday words alone.