PURE SUBSTANCE  

A Pure substance is defined as one that is homogeneous and invariable in chemical composition throughout its mass. The relative proportions of the chemical elements constituting the substance are also constant. Atmospheric air, steam-water mixture and combustion products of a fuel are regarded as pure substance. But the mixture of air and liquid air is not a pure substance, since the relative proportions of oxygen and nitrogen differ in the gas and liquid phases in equilibrium. 

The state of a pure substance of given mass can be fixed by specifying two independent intensive properties, provided the System is in equilibrium. This is known as the 'two-property rule'. The state can thus be represented as a point on thermodynamic property diagrams. Once any two properties of a pure substance are known, other properties can be determined from the available thermodynamic relations.