Chemistry

Separation
Techniques
When scientists investigate samples of
chemicals collected in the environment
there's often more than one substance
present in the sample and the different
substances must be sorted out before an
effective analysis can even begin.

This is a print version of an interactive online lesson.

To sign up for the real thing or for curriculum
details about the lesson go to

www.cosmoslessons.com
 Introduction: Separation Techniques

It’s not often that scientists have to go to the front line of a war zone, but that’s what happened recently in Syria.

The government there, which is ghting in a civil war, had used poisonous gas against the rebels. But before the United
Nations could demand that Syria give up its chemical weapons it had to prove what was in them. That’s where the scientists
came in.

Travelling in very dangerous areas where they could be shot at any time, the chemists moved through the war zone
collecting samples from where the gas had been used. Fortunately they did so safely and got the samples back to the lab.

The next job was to analyse the samples to see exactly what gas had been used.

They used a two-step technique called gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The rst step separates the sample into
its components. The second step identi es the components by identifying signature chemical properties.

The scientists proved that the poisonous gas sarin had been used and so the United Nations was able to force Syria to
destroy its chemical weapons. 

Read the full Cosmos Magazine article here.

Question 1
List: Have you ever noticed that you're surrounded by both pure substances and mixtures? List three things from around
your home or school that you think might be pure substances and another three things that you think might be mixtures.

Pure substances Mixtures

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 Gather: Separation Techniques

Classifying matter
Already today, your body has processed matter in the form of solids, liquids and gases: your breakfast, a drink and the air
around you. Understanding what all these types of matter are composed of helps scientists to solve real problems, such as
investigating the presence of the deadly toxin, sarin. This requires knowing whether any sample of matter is pure or
mixed – and if it is mixed, how to separate out the di erent components.

All matter is made up of extremely tiny particles. These particles can be atoms of one type of element or two or more
di erent elements that are chemically combined into a compound.

A pure substance can be either an element or a compound.

For example, gold is a pure substance composed of only gold atoms while distilled water is a pure substance composed of
hydrogen and oxygen atoms chemically bonded together to form water molecules.

A mixture is a combination of two or more pure substances that can be physically separated.

For example, a soft drink is a mixture of water, sugar, carbon dioxide gas and other chemicals. Air is also a mixture,
composed of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and other gases.

Question 1 Question 2
Recall: Only elements are pure substances. De ne: What is a mixture?

True A pure substance

False A combination of two or more substances that

can be physically separated
I'm not sure
A compound of two or more elements

I'm not sure

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 Question 3
Label: Each sphere below represents an atom and each colour represents a di erent element. Some of the atoms are
joined together to form molecules. There's no matter in between the particles – just empty space!

Identify each sample of matter as either a mixture or a pure substance by dragging and dropping the labels. Two have been
done for you.

Homogeneous and heterogeneous mixtures

We can group mixtures further by classifying them into those that are heterogeneous and those that are homogeneous.

0:00 / 4:54

Credit: ADLC – Elementary Science: Mixtures by ADLC Educational Media (YouTube).

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 Question 4
Notes: Use this space to take notes for the video.

Note: This is not a question and is optional, but we recommend taking notes – they will help you remember the main points of the
video and also help if you need to come back to answer a question or review the lesson.

Question 5
De ne: After watching the video, de ne the terms homogeneous mixture and heterogeneous mixture.

Question 6
Summarize: Based on information in the video, complete the following table.

Mixture Homogeneous Heterogeneous

e.g. corn starch and water yes

vinegar and water

pepper and salt

sand and water

salt and water

Solutions
A solution is a homogeneous mixture in which one or
more substances (the solutes) are dissolved in another
substance (the solvent).

Solutions are made up of elements or compounds mixed

together at the molecular level.

Apple juice is a solution. The juice looks and tastes the

same whether it comes from the top, middle, or bottom of
the glass.

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 Question 7
Discuss: Do you agree or disagree with the statement "All solutions are mixtures, but not all mixtures are solutions"? Give a
reason for your choice.

Question 8
Review: Before we look at how various mixtures can be separated, it's important that you're comfortable with how
mixtures are classi ed and how they're distinguished from pure substances. Consider the following terms relating to
matter that you've encountered in this lesson: 

pure substance   |   mixture   |   homogeneous mixture   |   heterogeneous mixture

atom   |   element   |   compound   |   solute   |   solvent   |   solution

Revisit these concepts and then construct a detailed mind map that shows your understanding of how these terms are
related.

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 Process: Separation Techniques

Gas masks contain sophisticated lters to separate out toxic particles from the air to protect the wearer. Combustion engines,
such as those in cars and buses, also contain lters. These lters separate out tiny carbon particles from the exhaust.

Separating mixtures
It's often important for human and environmental health that the components of a mixture are separated away from each
other. As reported in the Introduction, scientists investigated mixtures suspected of containing microscopic particles of a
lethal substance called sarin.

The combustion engines in cars and buses have been designed to separate out very tiny carbon particles and prevent them
from polluting the atmosphere. A similar, more sophisticated, separation system can be found in the gas masks worn by
the scientists in Syria.

Mixtures can be separated into their di erent pure substance components based on the physical properties of the
components.

Pure substances have unique physical properties such as di erent density, state of matter, melting point, boiling point and
solubility. Scientists need an understanding of these di erent physical properties to be able to distinguish one type of
particle from another.

Techniques used to separate mixtures rely on these di erences in the physical properties of the components.

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 0:00 / 2:29

Credit: Separating Mixtures by Anthea Barbara (YouTube).

Question 1
Notes: Use this space to take notes for the video.

Note: This is not a question and is optional.

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 Filtration
Filtration can be used to separate insoluble solids from a
liquid. It uses a lter. The holes in a lter are usually too
small to see, but solid pieces get trapped whereas the
liquid and anything soluble pass through.

Example: When a mixture of sand and water is poured

through lter paper in a funnel, the sand particles remain
as a solid residue in the lter paper, while the water is
collected in the beaker below as a liquid  ltrate. 

If the water has salt dissolved in it, the salt passes through
the lter paper into the ltrate.

Filtration separates on the basis of di erences in particle

size and solubility.

Evaporation
Evaporation is a method that recovers solid substances
dissolved in a liquid. It recovers the solute from the
solution by evaporating away the solvent, but not the
solute.

Example: Salt can be collected from a salt water mixture by

evaporation. The liquid water evaporates to leave the salt
behind, since water has a much lower boiling point than
salt.

Evaporation separates on the basis of di erences in boiling

point.

Question 2
Explain: What happens to the particles in a solution during the process of evaporation.

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 Simple distillation
Simple distillation is an extension of evaporation. It's
used to recover a pure liquid substance from a solution.
The solution is heated to evaporate the solvent. But unlike
simple evaporation this solvent, which is now in gaseous
form (a vapour) is collected. It is cooled to condense it back
into liquid in a separate container.

Example: A mixture of salt and water is heated to just over

100°C in a special distillation ask. 100°C is over the boiling
point of water so the water turns into vapour. 100°C is well
below the boiling point of salt, so it stays in the ask. The
water vapour passes into a cooling tube which condenses
it back into liquid water so it can be collected as distillate.
The salt has been left behind.

Simple distillation separates on the basis of di erences in

boiling point.

Question 3
Sort: Sequence the following processes into their correct order as they occur during the distillation of pure water from salty
sea water.

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 Flotation
Flotation can be used to recover a solid or a liquid from
another liquid depending on which components sink or
oat.

Example: If sawdust and sand are stirred into water, the

sawdust oats and the sand sinks, because the sawdust is
less dense than the water and the sand is more dense
than the water.

Another example of this is if oil and water are stirred

together. The oil will oat on top of the water as it is less
dense than the water.

Flotation separates on the basis of di erences in density. A

less dense component will oat to the top of a liquid
where it can be skimmed or poured o and a more dense
component will sink to the bottom.

Oil oating on water.

Question 4
Categorize: Identify the separation technique represented by the following images.

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 Question 5
Analyse: Identify the separation techniques you would likely need to use to separate a mixture of styrofoam beads,
sand and magnesium sulfate solution given the information in the table below. Explain your choices.

Step 1: Styrofoam beads Step 2: Sand Step 3: Magnesium sulfate

Water soluble no no yes

State of matter at 25oC solid solid solid

Less dense than water yes no no

Separation technique
required – including
explanation

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 Experiment: Separation Techniques

Separation of a mixture by simple paper chromatography

Background
The Cosmos Magazine article identi es a sophisticated separation technique known as gas chromatography.

Chromatography is a separation technique based on how the components of a mixture interact with their surroundings.

There are many di erent types of chromatography but in each case the sample mixture needs to be dissolved, carried
along by a solvent and dropped. Some components of the sample mixture interact more strongly with the surroundings
and so travel at di erent speeds from other components in the mixture.

The inks in non-permanent black felt-tip pens are often made from a mixture of di erent coloured pigments that can all
dissolve in water. However, due to their di erent structures, these pigments are soluble by di erent amounts and so travel
at di erent speeds.

Water acts as a solvent to dissolve the inks. The water carries the pigments along as it wets the lter paper and then drops
them onto the paper at di erent places to create a uniquely coloured pattern for each felt-tip pen.

Did you know?

Did you know that the water wets the paper because of a phenomenon called capillary action? It's essentially the same
action that a tree uses to soak water up its trunk from its roots and into its branches.

Aim
To separate the mixture of coloured pigments present in black inks using paper chromatography.

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 Materials
1 lter paper disc
4 di erent brands of water-soluble black felt-tip pens (labelled A, B, C, D)
Pencil
Plastic dropper
10 mL distilled water
Optional extension – 10 mL salt water solution (10%)

Safety information
Students should wear a lab coat and goggles at all times.

Procedure
1. Using clean hands, fold the lter paper in half, then in half again, to make quarters.
2. Unfold the lter paper onto a clean, dry and at surface – this will give you 4 fold lines on your paper.
3. Using the black coloured felt-tip pens place a small dot (about 2 mm diameter each) on each of the four fold lines
approximately 2 cm from the centre
4. Write the letter corresponding to each black felt-tip pen at the edge of the lter paper using the pencil
5. Very carefully, use the plastic dropper to place one drop of water onto the centre of the lter paper and watch
what happens. Record your initial observations in the project space below.
6. Once the water has stopped spreading, add another drop and record your next set of observations.
7. Add further drops of water, one drop at a time, waiting in between each drop for the spreading to stop. Record
your nal observations.

If you have time, you could repeat the experiment in exactly the same way but using salty water instead of distilled water. 

Variables
Independent variable – di erent brand of black felt-tip pen ink.

Dependent variable – distance travelled by each pigment in the ink mixture.

Question 1
List: Identify all of the controlled variables in this experiment.

Note: The independent variable is what is being changed each time, the dependent variable is what you are measuring or testing
and the controlled variables are all of the factors that remain constant throughout the experiment.

Hypothesis
It's possible that di erent brands of black felt-tip pen inks will contain di erent mixtures of pigments that travel at di erent
speeds during the separation process.

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 Results

Question 2

Collect: Use the project space below to present your results. You should construct a table of results which best suits the
data but you may also include photos, video or other representations.

Discussion

Question 3 Question 4
Justify: Explain why you used a pencil to write the letter Assess: Explain whether or not you think separation of the
corresponding to each black felt-tip pen at the edge of the mixture is taking place to the same extent for each brand
lter paper (rather than a pen). of black felt-tip pen. Use your results to support your
answer.

Question 5
Propose: Suggest what you might observe if the experiment was repeated to include a permanent black felt-tip pen.
Explain your reasoning.

Question 6 Question 7
Evaluate: Identify some limitations to the experimental Evaluate: Suggest changes that you could make if you
design that prevent you from collecting more reliable and were to repeat this experiment, which address the
accurate data.  limitations you identi ed.

Conclusion
Question 8
Conclude: Write a concluding statement that addresses both the aim of the experiment and the hypothesis.

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 Career: Separation Techniques

As the only child of a cleaner and a builder, young Martin Boland never gave much thought to going to university.
Martin had his sights set on becoming a ghter pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force.

So he studied chemistry and physics in high school in the

hope that they would help get him into the air force. But
Martin's dreams were dashed when he was told he was
too tall to t into the ejector seats of a ghter jet.
Nevertheless, inspired by the science o cers he had seen
on Star Trek, he decided to study chemistry at university.

Martin now calls chemistry “the great love of his life.” He is

a lecturer of pharmaceutical and medicinal chemistry at
Charles Darwin University in the Northern Territory. He
also runs his own research lab, where he tries to gure out
how to use native plants as medical treatments and how to
make drugs last longer in the unforgiving hot climate of
Northern Australia. Martin has even had the opportunity
to work with Australia's only nuclear reactor in Sydney.

But what Martin loves most is talking about science. He

relishes every opportunity to share his scienti c
knowledge with the public and constantly takes part in
various science outreach activities.

His background in chemistry also gives him a deep

understanding of chemical weapons. Organic chemistry is
the basis for most poisons and explosives, such as those
used in Syria, Iraq, and Boston, says Martin. He hates to
see chemistry being put to use in chemical warfare, and
hopes it will one day be a thing of the past.

Outside the lab, Martin is a certi ed mountain bike and ski

instructor, and stand-up comedian. He is also trying to
ful l his childhood dream of joining the air force by
applying for the Australian Army Reserves.

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 Question 1
Research: Chemical agents can cause damage to humans either immediately, like mustard gas in World War I and II, or
over a longer term, such as prolonged exposure to arsenic poison. However, for many years, researchers around the world
have been working to develop therapeutic uses of such chemicals. Speci c forms of both mustard gas and arsenic have
useful anti-cancer properties. 

Find out about one naturally occurring chemical agent that can also be used as a medical treatment. Examples include:
snake venom, cone snail toxin, ricin from castor oil plants and scorpion toxin. Identify the source organism of the chemical,
how the chemical is used by the organism (e.g. defence or attack) and in general terms how it might be used as a medical
treatment.

Image credits

Introduction: iStock; Gather: Apple juice, iStock; Process:

Reuters / Mohamed Abdullah and iStock, coloured lollies,
iStock; Oil oating on water, Martin Leigh/Getty Images.

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 Test: Separation Techniques

Note: There may be more than one correct answer to the multiple-choice questions below.

Question 1 (1 mark) Question 2 (1 mark)

Which of the following are pure substances? A mixture is a combination of two or more substances that
cannot be physically separated.
Elements
True
Mixtures
False
Compounds
I'm not sure
I’m not sure

Question 3 (1 mark) Question 4 (1 mark)

If you can see the di erent parts of a mixture then it is A solution is a special type of heterogeneous mixture.
classi ed as:
True
homogeneous
False, a solution is a homogeneous mixture
heterogeneous
I'm not sure
I’m not sure

Question 5 (1 mark) Question 6 (1 mark)

Brine is a mixture in which salt is dissolved in water. Which Substances can be separated by di erences in their
statements are true? physical properties. These include:

Brine is a solution boiling point

Brine can be separated into its components by cost

evaporation
density
Salt is the solvent and water is the solute
solubility
Salt is the solute and water is the solvent
particle size
I'm not sure
I'm not sure

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 Question 7 (1 mark) Question 8 (1 mark)

Which of the following separation techniques could be Which description below most accurately describes the
used to separate a mixture of two substances based on di erence between evaporation and distillation?
their solubility?
Distillation involves evaporation, but the
Filtration solvent is collected as well as the solute

Evaporation involves distillation, but the

Evaporation
solvent is collected as well as the solute
Distillation
Distillation involves evaporation, but only the
solute is collected
Flotation
Evaporation and distillation are unrelated
I'm not sure methods of separation

I'm not sure

The diagram to to the right shows ltration. Use this to

answer Questions 9 and 10.

Question 9 (1 mark) Question 10 (1 mark)

In the diagram, A is the: In the diagram, B is the:

ltrate ltrate

residue residue

solute solute

distillate distillate

I'm not sure I'm not sure

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 Question 11 (1 mark)

Oil and water can be separated using otation because:

oil is more dense than water so oats on top

oil is more dense than water so sinks to the

bottom

oil is less dense than water so oats on top

oil is less dense than water so sinks to the

bottom

I'm not sure

A mixture, pictured below, contains the substances in the table. Your task is to separate them all. Use the substances'
properties to work out which separation techniques to use to answer Questions 12 to 16.

More/less dense than

Substance Soluble in water Magnetic
water

sand more no no

plastic beads less no no

sugar more yes no

paper clips (metal) more no yes

Question 12 (1 mark)

Which separation technique could be used to separate the

paper clips from the rest of the mixture?

Distillation

Magnetism

Flotation in water

Filtration

Evaporation

I'm not sure

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 Question 13 (1 mark) Question 14 (1 mark)

If you add water to the mixture – say, double the volume of Which separation technique could be used next to
the mixture – then stir it well and leave to settle, what will separate the beads from the rest of the mixture?
be some of the e ects?
Distillation
The plastic beads will settle to the bottom
Magnetism
The sand will settle to the bottom
Flotation in water
The sand will dissolve
Filtration
The sugar will dissolve
Evaporation
I'm not sure
I'm not sure

Question 15 (1 mark) Question 16 (1 mark)

Assuming that, as per the previous question, you added With paper clips, plastic beads and sand removed, this
water to the mixture, and the paper clips and plastic beads leaves the sugar and water.
have been removed, which method would be best to
Which nal separation technique is required to isolate the
separate the sand and sugar?
sugar?

Distillation
Distillation

Magnetism
Magnetism

Flotation in water
Flotation in water

Filtration
Filtration

Evaporation
Evaporation

I'm not sure

I'm not sure

No, no further separation

Question 17 (1 mark)

Learning goal 1: Pure water is a pure substance but sea water is a mixture. Explain this di erence in terms of the types of
particles that each substance contains and whether or not they can be physically separated.

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 Question 18 (1 mark)

Learning goal 2: Explain the di erence between homogeneous and heterogeneous mixtures in your own words.

Question 19 (1 mark)

Learning goal 3: There are many ways of separating mixtures, including ltration, evaporation, distillation and  otation.
Choose one of these techniques and describe how it works. Make sure you identify which physical property it relies on to
separate the di erent components.

Total available marks: 19

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