Separation techniques

Question 1

Which separating technique should you use to separate a heterogeneous mixture?

(heterogeneous - don’t mix thoroughly eg. sand and water)

Answer 1

Filtration

Question 2

Which separating technique do you use to separate inks?

Answer 2

Chromatography

Question 3

Which separating technique do you use to separate a soluble solid in a liquid?
(homogeneous mixture)

Answer 3

Evaporation, or you could use distillation.

Question 4

Which separating technique do you use to separate a liquid and a liquid dissolved together?
(homogeneous mixture)

Answer 4

Simple distillation

Question 5

Which separating technique do you use to separate multiple liquids dissolved together?
(homogeneous mixture)

Answer 5

Fractional Distillation

Question 6

Which separating technique do you use to separate two insoluble liquids like oil and water?
(heterogeneous mixture)

Answer 6

A separating funnel

Question 7

Describe how you would carry out filtration.

Answer 7

To carry out filtration, you need your mixture, filter paper, a funnel, and a conical flask. You need to put the filter paper inside the funnel, so that it covers all surfaces and then you need to put the funnel inside the conical flask. You will then pour your mixture into the filter paper covered funnel. As the mixture filters through, you will be left with your liquid, or your filtrate in the flask and the solid or residue in the funnel. This is possible because the filter paper has tiny holes in it which only allow the liquid through.

Question 8

Describe how you would carry out evaporation.

Answer 8

To carry out evaporation, you would need your mixture, a heatproof mat, a bunsen burner, a tripod, a beaker with water in it, and an evaporating basin. To start, put your mixture into the evaporating basin. Put the tripod and the bunsen burner on the heatproof mat, and light the bunsen burner. Put the tripod over the bunsen burner, and then put the beaker with water on top of the tripod. Finally put the evaporating basin with your mixture in on top. Turn the bunsen to the blue flame and wait for your liquid to evaporate. You will then be left with solute as your solvent will have dissolved.

Question 9

Describe how you would carry out simple distillation.

Answer 9

To carry out simple distillation, you need your mixture and a distillation apparatus (if you don’t know what I mean then google it). To start, you will need to put the mixture into your round bottomed flask. You will then slowly heat the mixture up, using your thermometer to check the temperature. Once it gets to the boiling point of the first substance, then you should keep it at that temperature, until all of the first substance has evaporated and travelled into the next part of the apparatus. While this is going on, run cold water through the condenser, to cool down the first substance and let it run down into the second flask. Once all of the first substance is in the second flask, you can turn off the apparatus. The distillate, or first substance will now be in the second flask, and the second substance will be in the first flask. Now your substances our separated.

Question 10

Describe how you would carry out fractional distillation.

You only need to give a basic overview.

Answer 10

This is basically the same as simple distillation, just you do it multiple times, to get lots of different distillates. Here was the answer for simple distillation:

To carry out simple distillation, you need your mixture and a distillation apparatus (if you don’t know what I mean then google it). To start, you will need to put the mixture into your round bottomed flask. You will then slowly heat the mixture up, using your thermometer to check the temperature. Once it gets to the boiling point of the first substance, then you should keep it at that temperature, until all of the first substance has evaporated and travelled into the next part of the apparatus. While this is going on, run cold water through the condenser, to cool down the first substance and let it run down into the second flask. Once all of the first substance is in the second flask, you can turn off the apparatus. The distillate, or first substance will now be in the second flask, and the second substance will be in the first flask. Now your substances our separated.

Question 11

Describe how you would carry out chromatography .

You only need to give a basic overview.

Answer 11

Simple chromatography is carried out on paper. A spot of each mixture that you want to look at, is placed near the bottom of a piece of chromatography paper. The paper is then placed upright in a suitable solvent, such as water. As the solvent soaks up the paper, it carries the mixtures with it. Different components of the mixture will move at different rates. This separates each mixture out. You can then see the different colours in the inks, and you can also see which inks came from the same pens.