Separating mixtures

Separating mixtures

1. Homogenous mixture

   • Destillation This method is used to separate a mixture of liquids with distinct boiling points that are far apart. How it works: Different liquids boil at different temperatures. When heated, they boil off and condense (turn into liquid) at different times.
   • Chromatography This method is to separate different colored dyes. How it works: The dyes travel up the chromatography paper (filter paper) at different distances before they cannot remain in solution.
   • Evaporation This method is suitable to separate a soluble solid (ex salt) from a liquid How it works: When salty water is warmed the water evaporates leaving behind crystals of salt.
   • Filtering (filtration) can be used to separate a solid from a liquid. How it works: The liquid (and anything dissolved in the liquid, ex. Solid particles) passes through pores (holes) in a porous filter

2. Heterogenous mixture

   • A magnet can be used to separate solid substances, one of which is magnetic. How it works: The magnet sticks to the iron but not to the sand Example: separating of IRON from SAND.
   • Crystallization This method results in the formation of pure solid particles of a substance from a solution containing the dissolved substance
   • Decantation is a process to separate mixtures by removing a liquid layer that is free of a precipitate, or the solids deposited from a solution. The purpose may be to obtain a decant (liquid free from particulates) or to recover the precipitate
   • Extraction There are two types of extraction, liquid-liquid extraction also known as solvent extraction as well as solid-liquid extraction. Both extraction types are based on the same principle, the separation of compounds, based on their relative solubilities in two different immiscible liquids or solid matter compound.

3. Mixtures can be separated using a variety of techniques. Chromatography involves solvent separation on a solid medium. Distillation takes advantage of differences in boiling points. Evaporation removes a liquid from a solution to leave a solid material.

Images and files in the map