Lower Secondary Science

Separation Techniques
Notes

1. Ways of separating mixtures.

Filtration Separates insoluble solid from liquid.
Residue is collected at the filter and the
liquid that filters through is the filtrate.

Applications:
Water treatment plant. Mixture
Tea bags.
Vacuum cleaners
Nose, kidneys
Filter Paper
(folded)
Funnel Residue

Filtrate

Evaporation Separates soluble solid from liquid.

Use direct heating. Sometimes steam bath is used to limit heating temperature to
prevent chemical reactions (e.g. decomposition) from taking place.

Salt Solution

Evaporating Dish Beaker

Water
Wire Gauze

Tripod Stand

Bunsen Burner

Direct Heating Steam Bath

Applications:
Obtain salt from sea water.
Produce powdered milk.

CrystallizationTo Obtains soluble solid from a solution. Separates

a soluble solid that decomposes on heating.
A very slow method of separation.
Purpose: To obtain pure crystals.

Applications: Crystal
Production of sugar. Solution
Production of silicon wafers
Production of blue copper sulfate crystals

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Magnetic To separate magnetic material (e.g. iron or steel) from non-magnetic material.
Attraction
Application: Magnet
Magnetic
Junk yards.
Material
Mining Industry
Cleaning up agricultural products
Treatment of sewage Mixture

Distillation

Thermometer

Tap water out

Solid Liquid Condenser

Mixture
(eg. Salt Water)

Porcelain
Chips
Tap water in

Distillate
(Pure Water)

Distillation is used to separate mixture of solid-and-liquid or liquid-and-liquid.

Liquids to be separated must have different boiling points.

Distillation is a process which the liquid is heated to a gaseous state and it is cooled
until it condenses as a pure liquid (collected in a separate flask) leaving the solid
behind.

Porcelain chips are added to the liquid mixture to ensure smooth boiling (poor
conductor of heat thereby causing heat flow to be slower)
Cold water running through the condenser will cool the vapour which will condense
to a liquid.

Fractional distillation is used to separate:

a mixture of 2 or more liquids
a liquid-liquid mixture that has very close boiling points

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 Thermometer

Tap water out

Fractionating
Column
Condenser

Miscible Liquids
(eg. Alcohol and
Water)
Tap water in

Distllate
Porcelain
Chips

The fractional distillation setup is similar to the distillation setup except it has a
fractionating column to help in separating the two liquids.

Applications:
Fractional distillation of crude oil to obtain petrol, diesel, kerosene, lubricating
oils, etc.
Distillation of sea water to get fresh water (this process is also called
desalination)
Dry cleaning
Making alcoholic drinks/separate ethanol from water
Oxygen and nitrogen gases from liquid air

Oil Refining and Fractional Distillation - Crude oil is refined into products such as
gasoline, asphalt, and waxes by a process called fractional distillation. During the
process, the parts, or fractions, of crude oil are divided out successively by their
increasing molecular weight. For instance, gasoline has a low molecular weight and
vaporizes at a fairly low temperature. This means that at the appropriate
temperature, while all of the rest of the oil is still in liquid form, gasoline may be
separated out. The remaining oil goes through the same process at a slightly higher
temperature, and jet fuel is divided out. Repeating the distillation process several
times will separate out several constituents of crude oil, which are then processed
and put to a wide range of uses.

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Chromatography To separate mixture of liquids (usually coloured).
Based on the principle that different components of the liquid mixture travel at
different speed in another medium, eg paper.

Applications:
Separate the components of food colourings or dyes to test that they are safe for
use.
Urine/ Drug testing.

Chromatogram Chromatogram

Split Cork

Boiling Tube

Chromatography
Paper

Ink Spot

Solvent

Separating funnel To separate liquids that are immiscible, e.g. oil and water.
The mixture is poured into the separating funnel. A tap at the bottom of the funnel
allows the lower layer of liquid to be removed.

Stopper

Oil

Water

Tap

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Sublimation To separate substances that sublimes upon heating
from substances that do not. Sublimed
solid
Heat the mixture until a solid sublimes, collect the
vapour and cool it so that it condenses back into solid.
Mixture

Reverse Osmosis Partially permeable membrane allows water molecules to pass through but not salt.
Apply pressure on the side containing salt water so that water molecules passes
through the membrane to the side containing pure water.
Pressure

Partially Permeable
Membrane

Pure Water Salt Water

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