Distillation of inky water

5
Watch the video link attached at the end to answer the questions.
Distillation can be used to separate mixtures. Distillation uses evaporation and condensation to obtain a solvent
from a solution. This means that you heat up a mixture and the solvent evaporates and then cools down again. You
are going to obtain water from a solution of inky water.

Prediction
Write down what you think you will observe in the apparatus when water has been separated from the inky water
solution.

Diagram
Label the diagram below to show how the experiment should be set up. Use the following labels to complete the
apparatus diagram.

water vapour thermometer water out

condenser

condensed water

round-bottomed flask
(with inky water) Bunsen burner round-bottomed flask
(with clean water)

© Oxford University Press 2016 www.oxfordsecondary.co.uk/acknowledgements

This resource sheet may have been changed from the original.
 Distillation of inky water
5
Results
1 Record your observations in the table below.

Observations
Before distillation During distillation After distillation

2 Circle the correct words in bold to describe what you observe when the inky water undergoes distillation.

The inky mixture in the first round-bottomed flask was cooled / heated. The
water evaporated / condensed and travelled through the condenser to the
second round-bottomed flask, leaving the ink / water behind in the first flask.

Questions
1 Applying your knowledge of filtration, evaporation, and distillation, explain which process you would use to
separate the following:

a a mixture of propanone (boiling point = 56 °C) and water

b copper sulfate from copper sulfate solution

c the reaction solution from a beaker after a glass rod had been broken while stirring

https://youtu.be/0IWy_hdgKJM?si=Wtj3r3sJZ-ZWDIyx

© Oxford University Press 2016 www.oxfordsecondary.co.uk/acknowledgements

This resource sheet may have been changed from the original.