CHEM

181 DL1
Separat ion of a Mixt ure of Solids

Final Report
St ude nt Abdulrazzaq Alnassar
Name
St ude nt ID 45487
Le s s o n Separation of a Mixture of Solids
Ins t it ut io n O cean C ounty C ollege
Se s s io n 2019L1 C HEM 181 DL1
Co ur s e C HEM 181 DL1
Ins t r uc t o r C ynthia Spencer

Exercise 1
Data Table 1: Mass of Substance s

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Substance /Mixture Mass (g)

Mixture of Solids 13.5

Mass of Pape r 0.7

Mass of Pape r + Iron Filings 4.5

Mass of Iron Filings 3.8

Mass of 100 mL Glass Be ake r 50.3

Mass of 100 mL Glass Be ake r + 56

Sand

Mass of Sand 5.7

Mass of Filte r Pape r 0.7

Mass of Filte r Pape r + Be nz oic Acid 2.1

Mass of Be nz oic Acid 1.4

Mass of 100 mL Glass Be ake r 50.3

Mass of 100 mL Glass Be ake r + 51.4

Salt

Mass of Salt 1.1

Exercise 2

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1. What pe r c e nt o f t he t o t al mas s o f mixt ur e o f s o lids (Init ial) was r e c o ve r e d t hr o ugh
t he s e par at io n t e c hnique s ?

Initial m ass of m ixture of solids = 13.5 g

Total m ass of sam ples = 3.8 + 5.7 + 1.4 + 1.1 = 12.0 g

Percent Recovered (% ) = (Sum of Recovered Masses) / (Initial Mass of Mixture) x 100%

= 12.0 / 13.5 x 100%
= 88.9%

Thus, 88.9% of the total m ass of m ixture of solids (Initial) was recovered through the separation
techniques.

2. De s c r ibe po s s ible s o ur c e s o f e r r o r t o ac c o unt f o r any de viat io n be t we e n t he % o f t he

t o t al mas s o f mixt ur e o f s o lids (init ial) and t he s um o f s e par at e d c o mpo ne nt s .

Sources of Error include the following possibilities:

It is possible that not all filings have been collected onto the m agnet. Magnetism to rem ove
iron filling was not strong enough to easily lift out all iron fillings.

It is also possible that not all liquid has been decanted during the experim ent.

Finally, allowing the rem aining liquid to evaporate is a lengthy process given the allotted
tim e I have. It required an overnight waiting period, and it also depended on the hum idity of
the location, which m ay account for the difference.

3. What was t he mo s t c halle nging s t e p t o pe r f o r m in t he s e par at io n pr o c e dur e ? What

wo uld yo u s ugge s t t o make t he s t e p le s s c halle nging?

The decantation of the benzoic acid crystals into the cup proved to be a challenging step for m e. I
m ight not have gotten all of the benzoic acid crystals out of the beaker when I was decanting the
m ixture into the cup. I did not realize that I needed to get all of it out, and it started to dry before I
was able to finish. To m ake this step less challenging, I would like to be able to decant straight into
a filter and just be careful not to allow any of the other solids to m ix. I was worried that I would
m ess it up and spill. I didn't do it fast enough so the crystals stuck to the beaker and the cup,
where I could not get them off.

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 Data Table 2: Mixture Summary

Substance /Mixture Mass (g)

Mass of Mixture of Solids (Initial) 13.5

Mass of Iron Filings 3.8

Mass of Sand 5.7

Mass Be nz oic Acid 1.4

Mass of Salt 1.1

Substance /Mixture % of Total Mixture

Mass of Mixture of Solids (Initial) 100%

Mass of Iron Filings 28.1%

Mass of Sand 42.2%

Mass Be nz oic Acid 10.4%

Mass of Salt 8.1%

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