Flashcards

Separating mixtures: filtration, evaporation and distillation

kclolkat English 5 cards

Cards in this deck (5)

1Chromatography
2FiltrationFiltration is good for separating an insoluble solid from a liquid. (An insoluble substance is one that does not dissolve).
Sand, for example, can be separated from a mixture of sand and water using filtration. That's because sand does not dissolve in water.
3EvaporationThis is good for separating a soluble solid from a liquid (a soluble substance does dissolve, to form a solution).
For example copper sulphate crystals can be separated from copper sulphate solution using evaporation. Remember that it is the water that evaporates away, not the solution.
4Simple distillationThis is good for separating a liquid from a solution. For example, water can be separated from salty water by simple distillation. This method works because the water evaporates from the solution, but is then cooled and condensed into a separate container. The salt does not evaporate and so it stays behind.
5Fractional distillationThis is good for separating two or more liquids from each other. For example, ethanol (alcohol) can be separated from a mixture of ethanol and water by fractional distillation. This method works because the two liquids have different boiling points.