SEPARATING MIXTURES AND PURE SUBSTANCES

In Chemistry it is very important to be able to create pure chemical substances. These are
some of the methods tha Chemists use to separate mixtures of chemicals and to create
pure substances.
Methods of separating insoluble solids from liquids
Decanting: For separating insoluble solids with heavy particles from liquids. e.g. mixture of
sand and water.
Filtration: For separating insoluble solids with fine particle from liquids e.g. mixture of
chalk powder and water.
Centrifugal method: For separating fluids of different densities (e.g. cream from milk) or
liquids from solids in suspensions.
Methods of separating soluble solids from liquids
Evaporation: (e.g. sodium chloride from water).
Simple distillation: Used when both solid and liquid is to be recovered.
Crystallisation: For separating soluble solids from liquids by allowing them to form crystals.
Fractional crystallisation: For separating two or more solutes with different solubilities at
the same temperature form a liquid.
Method of separating coloured substances in solution
Chromatography: Uses the difference in rates of movement of solutes over a porous
medium like filter paper by a moving solvent (e.g. ink, chlorophyll, dyes, and so on).
Methods of separating liquid liquid mixtures
Separating funnel: For immiscible liquids (e.g. paraffin and water).
Simple distillation: For miscible liquids with boiling points widely far apart.
Fractional distillation: For separating miscible liquids with closely related boiling points
(e.g. petrol and paraffin, ethanol and water).
Methods of separating solid-solid mixtures
Sublimation: Used when one of the solids sublimes on heating (e.g. iodine and sand).
Magnetisation: Used when the mixture consist of and any other substance.
Hand picking and winnowing: Used when the solid particles of one of the solids are big (e.g.
husks/chuff and rice).
Methods of drying solids
Pressing between filter papers.
Sun drying.
Oven drying.
Desiccators with drying agents.
Elements are substances that cannot be separated into simpler substances. Salt is made up
of the elements sodium and chloride. Water is made up of the elements hydrogen and
oxygen.
.


compound is a substance formed when two or more elements are chemically joined. Water,
salt, and sugar are examples of compounds. When the elements are joined, the atoms lose
their individual properties and have different properties from the elements they are
composed of. A chemical formula is used a quick way to show the composition of compounds.
Letters, numbers, and symbols are used to represent elements and the number of elements
in each compound.

Mixtures are two or more substances that are mixed together but not chemically joined. A
good example of a mixture is a salad. There are tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, and salad
dressing all mixed together. No chemical reactions occur between the vegetables and the
dressing. You can separate each of the vegetables from each other. When spices are added
to a cake before baking, do you think they form compounds or mixtures? Why?
a mixture is a material system made up of two or more different substances which are
mixed but are not combined chemically. A mixture refers to the physical combination of two
or more substances on which the identities are retained and are mixed in the form
of solutions, suspensions, and colloids.

Kinds of mixtures
Mixtures can be either homogeneous or heterogeneous. A homogeneous mixture is a type of
mixture in which the composition is uniform and every part of the solution has the same
properties. A heterogeneous mixture is a type of mixture in which the components can be
seen, as there are two or more phases present. One example of a mixture is air. Air is a
homogeneous mixture of the gaseous substances nitrogen, oxygen, and smaller amounts of
other substances. Salt, sugar, and many other substances dissolve in water to form
homogeneous mixtures. A homogeneous mixture in which there is both
a solute and solvent present is also a solution. Mixtures can have any amounts of
ingredients.
The following table shows the main properties of the three families of mixtures.
The following table shows examples of the three types of mixtures.
Dissolved
or
dispersed
phase
Dispersio
n medium
(Mixture
phase)
Solution Colloid
Suspension (Coarse
dispersion)
Gas Gas
Gas
mixture: air (oxygen a
None None
nd other gases
in nitrogen)
Liquid Gas None
Liquid aerosol:
[2]
f
og, mist,vapor, hair
sprays
Aerosol
Solid Gas None
Solid
aerosol:
[2]
smoke,cl
oud,
air particulates
Solid aerosol: dust
Gas Liquid
Solution: oxygen
in water
Liquid foam: whipp
ed cream,shaving
cream
Foam
Liquid Liquid
Solution: alcoholic
beverages
Emulsion: miniemul
sion,microemulsion
Emulsion: milk, mayonna
ise, hand cream
Solid Liquid
Solution: sugar in
water
Liquid sol: pigment
ed ink,blood
Suspension: mud (soil, c
lay or silt particles are
suspended in
water), chalk powder
suspended in water
Gas Solid
Solution: hydrogen in
metals
Solid
foam: aerogel,styr
ofoam, pumice
Foam: dry sponge
Liquid Solid
Solution: amalgam (me
rcury in gold),hexane i
n paraffin wax
Gel: agar, gelatin, s
ilicagel,opal
Wet sponge
Solid Solid
Solution: alloys, plasti
cizers in plastics
Solid
sol: cranberry
glass
Clay, Silt, Sand, Gravel,
Granite