Mixtures

A mixture is made up of two or more than two

components that are mixed physically either by stirring,

shaking or dissolving.

However, the physical properties of the mixture may be different from the

physical properties of the components

such as the boiling point, melting point, color and physical state.

Examples of mixtures : sugar solution, salt water, smoke, marbles in water.

However, mixing of vinegar and baking soda does not produce a mixture.

They react and produce carbon dioxide and water.

Mixing an acid and a base also does not produce a mixture also.

1. Separating Mixtures

The components in a mixture can be separated by physical means

because they are not united by a chemical bond.

In order to separate the components of a mixture,

we need to know the differences in the properties of the components.

Then, we can choose a suitable separation method to separate them.

There are some separation methods such as:

(a) evaporation (d) paper chromatography

(b) crystallization (e) solvent extraction

(c) simple distillation. (f) steam distillation

1a). Evaporation

Evaporation is the process of a substance in

a liquid state changing to its gaseous state

due to an increase in temperature.

Evaporation is a way to separate a soluble solid

from a liquid.

For example, salt is soluble in water to form salt water.

During evaporation, the water evaporates away leaving the solid salt behind.

2a). Crystallization

Crystallization is a method to obtain a pure solid from an impure solid.

An impure solid is dissolved in a liquid (solvent) to produce a solution.

The solution is then heated up.

When most of the solvent is evaporated, the hot solution is left to cool down.

The dissolved solid will appear as pure crystals.

The impurities remain in the solvent. Then, the cold solvent is poured off to

obtain the crystals.

Filtration followed by crystallization is often used to obtain pure salts

such as copper(I I ) sulfate. .Sugar is obtained by this way too.

3a). Simple distillation

Simple distillation is used to purify liquids with very different boiling points.

In this process, the mixture of liquids is heated up and the liquid with the

lower boiling point evaporates and escapes as a vapor.

Remember that different liquids have different boiling points.

At this moment, the temperature of the vapor is constant.

The vapor is then cooled and condensed into its pure liquid

which is called distillate.

In the lab, usually a Liebig condenser is used to condense the vapor .

If more than one liquid in a mixture of liquids is needed to be separated ,

fractional distillation is used.

Fractional distillation uses a fractionating column to separate the different

liquids with different boiling points.

For example : Crude oil is separated by this way.

4a). Paper chromatography
Paper chromatography is usually used to separate the different colored

components in dyes or inks.

Example : It is often used in forensic science and food industry.

A drop of ink is placed onto the chromatography paper.

Then, the paper is dipped into a suitable solvent.

The solvent travels up the paper.

The ink dissolves in the solvent and moves up with it.

Different colored components travel at different rate and get spepatrate.

Therefore the colored components’ll appear at different locations on the pp

The movement of a component of an ink or dye during chromatography,

relative to the moment of the solvent , is measured by calculating its

retention factor (Rf) that can be calculated using this formula:

The Rf value of the above component of

the dye = 5 cm / 10 cm = 0.5

Calculating the Rf value allows scientists to identify unknown substances

because it can be compared with the Rf values of known substances under

the same conditions. . The Rf values are always between 0 and 1.

F.) Solvent extraction
Solvent extraction is also known as liquid-liquid extraction.

It involves the separation of two or more components due to their unequal

solubilities in two immiscible (not mixed) liquid phases.

A solvent dissolving only that particular component that needs to be

separated from the mixture is used.

Therefore, choosing the right solvent is important in order to dissolve that

particular component and it must not be miscible (able to mix freely)

with the other solvent.

For example, in order to extract iodine from the mixture of salt and iodine

in water, tetrachloromethane is added. Water is immiscible with

tetrachloromethane.

Salt does not dissolve in tetra chlaromethane but iodine does .

Therefore, a purple solution of iodine in tetra cholera methane is formed.

These two solution do not mix . By using a separating funnel, these two

solutions can be separated . The solvent are the evaporated to obtain the

salt and iodine off separately.

f.) Steam distillation
Steam distillation is used mainly to separate out components that are sensitive

to high temperatures and immiscible with water such as essential oils.

These components decompose at high temperatures.

Steam distillation works similar to simple distillation.

Simple distillation requires direct heat to evaporate the contents.

However, in steam distillation, steam is used instead of direct heat.

The volatile component together with water is distilled out as the distillate.

Upon settling, the extracted component will float on the water and

later is separated by filtering out the water from below.