Seperation methods

• Colourless liquid X


  • Boiling point = 102°C
  • Universal Indicator turns green
• Blue solid X


  Soluble in water
• Obtain pure solid X from an aqueous solution

  Crystallisation
• Mixture


  • Aqueous copper chloride and copper
• Methods to separate a salt from its solution in water


  • Crystallisation
  • Decanting
  • Distillation
  • Filtration
• Solubilities of sulfur and iron filings in water and carbon disulfide
• Techniques used to separate mixtures


  • Chromatography
  • Crystallisation
  • Diffusion
  • Evaporation
  • Filtration
  • Fractional distillation
  • Simple distillation
• Separation techniques


  • Water from sea-water
  • Helium from a mixture of helium and methane gas
  • Ethanol from a mixture of ethanol and propanol
  • Iron filings from a mixture of iron filings and water
  • A mixture of two amino acids, glycine and alanine
• Apparatus used to separate ethanol from water

  1. Condenser

  2. Beaker

  3. Fractionating column
• Where heat is applied


  Arrow pointing to the apparatus
• Separation process


  Fractional distillation
• Reason for using excess zinc oxide in Step 2
• How to remove excess zinc oxide from the solution in Step 3
• Saturated solution


  No more solute can dissolve at that temperature
• Practical method to show the solution is saturated


  • Crystals appear at the edge of the dish/ solution or on a cold glass rod
• Why the crystals are dried in Step 7 using filter paper instead of by heating