* Components retain their properties: When you combine salt and vinegar, the salt crystals remain salt, and the vinegar remains vinegar. They don't chemically react to form a new substance.

* Easily separated: You can easily separate the salt from the vinegar. For example, you could let the vinegar evaporate, leaving the salt behind.

* Variable composition: You can make salt and vinegar mixtures with different amounts of salt and vinegar. This wouldn't change the chemical nature of the ingredients, just the overall taste and concentration.

In contrast, a chemical compound is formed when two or more substances chemically react to form a new substance with different properties than the original components. For example, water (H₂O) is a compound formed from the chemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen.