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Methods of Purification

1) Common apparatus used:

Burette Bunsen Burner Pipette Separating Funnel

Measuring Cylinder Beaker Filter funnel Heating Tube

Liebig Condenser Crucible Beaker Beaker

(Distillation)

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Diagrams from Chemistry For O Level By JGR Briggs (Longman Publishers) Unless
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Apparatus for collecting Gases (Refer to Notes on Speed of Reactions)

Apparatus for finding boiling point

Apparatus used in Titration

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Diagrams from Chemistry For O Level By JGR Briggs (Longman Publishers) Unless
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2) Burette
-used in titration (refer to notes on Acids, Bases and Salts)
-measure volumes of liquid accurate up to 0.1 cm3
** Measuring cylinder and beaker can only measure accurate up to 1 cm3

Pipette
– also used in titration (refer to notes on Acids, Bases and Salts)
– measures fixed volumes of 25.0 cm3 or 50.0 cm3

3) Pure substance boils at fixed melting point and boiling point at a given pressure.
Impurities will lower melting point and raise boiling point
A mixture boils over a range of temperatures.

Purity of substances is important especially in foodstuffs and drugs. Any impurity in

these substances can kill. Purification needs to be carried out.
Pure silicon is used to make silicon chips for making microprocessors
Pure copper is needed to make copper wires used in electrical wiring.

Different gases are collected using different methods:

Collect insoluble gas Collect gas lighter than air Collect gas heavier than air

4) Summary of separation techniques:

Separation Technique Purpose Example
Obtain a Sodium
solute from chloride from
solution sodium
(Solute cannot chloride
be solution
decomposed
by heat)

Evaporation

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Diagrams from Chemistry For O Level By JGR Briggs (Longman Publishers) Unless
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Evaporation to dryness
Separate solid Sand from
from liquid water
Calcium
carbonate
from water

Filtration
Separate Oil and water
immiscible Paraffin and
liquids water
(liquids which Benzene and
do not mix) water

Separating funnel
To dry a gas ** Common
drying agent
is
concentrated
sulphuric acid

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Diagrams from Chemistry For O Level By JGR Briggs (Longman Publishers) Unless
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Drying a gas
Obtain a Water from
solvent from a seawater
solution

Distillation
Separate Ethanol and
miscible water
liquids with Crude oil
different Liquid air
boiling points Fermented
liquor

Fractional Distillation
Separate Dye and Inks
small amounts (Compare
of substances with a known
which are substance)
soluble in the
named solvent Mixture of
amino acids
(compare Rf
values)

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Diagrams from Chemistry For O Level By JGR Briggs (Longman Publishers) Unless
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Chromatography

Results of chromatography
Dissolving and filtering To separate Sodium
soluble chloride
**Dissolving = Dissolution substance (soluble) from
from sand
insoluble Sugar
substance (soluble) from
sand
Crystallisation Obtain Copper(II)
crystals from sulphate
**Can purer crystals saturated salt crystals from
solution copper(II)
sulphate
solution

Sodium
chloride
crystals from
sodium
chloride
solution
Magnetism Separate Iron filings
magnetic from sulphur
substance
(mainly iron)
from a non-
magnetic
substance
Sublimation Separate a Ammonium
substance that chloride from
can sublime sodium
from one that chloride
cannot Iodine from
copper
Napthalene
(moth ball)
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Diagrams from Chemistry For O Level By JGR Briggs (Longman Publishers) Unless
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from sand
Chromatography
-can identify substance
-determine purity of substance
-separate two or more substances in a mixture
-substances must be soluble in same solvent
-Common solvents: water , ethanol
-Most soluble substance will travel furthest up the chromatogram

Example of paper chromatography set-up

Possible chromatograms obtained

-Pure substance will only produce one spot on the chromatogram
-Impure substance will produce more than one impure substance on the chromatogram

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Diagrams from Chemistry For O Level By JGR Briggs (Longman Publishers) Unless
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Steps in Paper Chromatography (adapted from Effective Guide to ‘O’ Level

Chemistry by Longman Publishers):

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Diagrams from Chemistry For O Level By JGR Briggs (Longman Publishers) Unless
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Rf value = Distance travelled by component / Distance travelled by solvent

Different substance has different Rf value.

Chromatography can be used to separate and identify colourless substances

-Chromatogram is sprayed with a locating agent to show where the substances are on the
paper
-Locating agent is a chemical that reacts with the substances to produce a coloured
product

Copyright: Stephanie Teo

Diagrams from Chemistry For O Level By JGR Briggs (Longman Publishers) Unless
otherwise stated