Pure Substances, Mixtures and Separation

Chemistry
Grade 10
Matter is anything that has mass and volume
(occupies space).
118
 Pure Substance
A pure substance is composed of a
single type of material only. Any pure
substance possesses certain general
characteristics:
The composition is fixed and constant
Its properties are fixed and constant, for

example, its melting point, boiling point and

density.
The component parts cannot be separated

by any physical process.

 NB- To find out if a substance is pure, its melting or boiling point can be
measured. If any impurities are present they will usually lower its melting point
and raise its boiling point.
Elements are the simplest form of matter.
An element is a pure substance that cannot
be broken down into simpler substances by
using any ordinary physical or chemical
process.
An atom is the smallest particle in any
element. Each element is composed of
atoms of one kind only.
There are 118 known elements and they
can be classified as metals or non-metals.
Physical Property Metals Non-Metals

Melting and boiling points Usually high Usually low

State at room temperature Solid (except mercury) Can be solid,

liquid or gas
Appearance of the solid Shiny Dull

Bendability of the solid Malleable (can be Brittle

hammered into different
shapes) and ductile (can
be drawn out into wires).
Density Usually high Usually low

Electrical and thermal Good Poor (except

conductivity graphite, a form
of carbon)
Element Atomic Symbol Element Atomic Symbol

Aluminium Al Magnesium Mg

Barium Ba Manganese Mn

Beryllium Be Mercury Hg

Calcium Ca Nickel Ni

Chromium Cr Potassium K

Cobalt Co Silver Ag

Copper Cu Sodium Na

Gold Au Lithium Li

Iron Fe Tin Sn

Lead Pb Zinc Zn
Element Atomic Symbol Element Atomic Symbol

Argon Ar Iodine I

Boron B Krypton Kr

Bromine Br Neon Ne

Carbon C Nitrogen N

Chlorine Cl Oxygen O

Fluorine F Phosphorus P

Helium He Silicon Si

Hydrogen H Sulfur S
A compound is a pure substance that is formed
from two or more different types of elements
which are chemically bonded together in fixed
proportions and in a way that their properties
have changed.

Example:
sodium + chlorine sodium chloride
(element) (element) (compound)
The proportions, by mass, of sodium and
chlorine in any pure sample of sodium chloride
are always the same and the elements cannot be
separated by physical means because they are
chemically bonded together. The properties of
sodium chloride are different from those of both
sodium and chloride.
Compounds can be represented by chemical
formulae, e.g. the chemical formula for sodium
chloride is NaCl and for water it is H 2O.
A mixture consist of two or more substances (elements
and/or compounds which are physically combined
together in variable proportions. Each component
retains its own individual properties and is not
chemically bonded to any other component of the
mixture.
Any mixture possesses certain general characteristics:
Its composition can vary
Its properties are variable because its component parts

keep their individual properties.

The component parts can be separated by physical

means.
Heterogeneous mixtures Homogeneous mixtures
All Components cannot be
components of the
mixture are visible distinguished from each
because they do not mix other, appear as one
substance
together Particles distributed
Particles not
evenly throughout
distributed evenly
Ex: air, salt water, 10
Ex: trail mix, karat gold
vegetable soup,
oil and water
 Homogeneous mixtures are also called
solutions.
 Separateparticles are not visible because
one dissolves in the other = dissolution
 In salt water,
◦ salt is the solute, gets dissolved Smaller quantity

◦ water is the solvent, dissolves

other substance
Larger quantity
This is a homogeneous mixture of two or more
substances, one substance is usually a liquid.
A solution is composed of:
a solvent, which is the substance that does

the dissolving. The solvent is present in the

higher concentration.
A solute, which is the substance that

dissolves. The solute is present in the lower

concentration. A solution may contain more
than one solute.
 Solutions in which the solvent is water is known as aqueous solution.
A saturated solution is a solution in which
the solvent cannot dissolve any more
solute at a particular temperature, in the
presence of undissolved solute.
State of Solute State of Solvent Example Components
Solid Liquid Sea water Sodium chloride
dissolved in
water
Liquid Liquid White vinegar Ethanoic acid
dissolved in
water
Gas Liquid Soda water Carbon dioxide
dissolved in
water
Solid Solid Bronze (a metal Tin dissolved in
alloy) copper
Gas Gas Air Oxygen, carbon
dioxide, noble
gases and water
vapour dissolved
in nitrogen
This is a non-uniform mixture; it is
possible to distinguish the component
parts from each other, though not
always with the naked eyes.
Heterogeneous mixtures include
suspension and colloids.
A suspension is a heterogeneous mixture in which minute,
visible particles of one substance are dispersed in another
substance, which is usually a liquid.

Examples:
Mud in water and powdered chalk in water. These are

suspensions of solid particles in a liquid.

Oil shaken in water. This is a suspension of liquid droplets

in a liquid.
Dust in the air. This is a suspension of solid particles in a

gas.
This is a mixture in which minute particles
of one substance are dispersed in another
substance, which is usually a liquid. The
dispersed particles are larger than those of
a solution but smaller than those of a
suspension.

Colloids are intermediate between a

solution and a suspension.
Type of Colloid Composition Examples

Gel Solid particles Gelatin, jelly

dispersed in a liquid

Emulsion Liquid droplets Mayonnaise, milk,

dispersed in a liquid hand cream

Foam Gas bubbles dispersed Whipped cream,

in a liquid shaving cream

Solid aerosol Solid particles Smoke

dispersed in a gas

Liquid aerosol Liquid droplets Fog, aerosol sprays.

dispersed in a gas cloud
 particle size increases

solution colloid suspension

Property Solution Colloid Suspension

Size of dispersed Extremely small Larger than those in a Larger than those
particles solution but smaller in a colloid
than those in a
suspension
Visibility of Not visible, even Not visible, even with Visible to the
dispersed particles with a microscope. a microscope naked eye
Sedimentation Components do not Dispersed particles do Dispersed
separate if left not settle if left particles settle if
undisturbed undisturbed left undisturbed
Passage of light Light usually passes Most will scatter light Light does not
through pass through
Sedimentation Usually transparent Translucent due to the Opaque due to
due to light passing scattering of light, or light not being
through may be opaque able to pass
through
Pure Substance
HETEROGENOUS HOMOGENOUS
ELEMENTS COMPOUNDS MIXTURES MIXTURES

Elements are the Compounds are All components of Homogeneous

simplest pure pure substances the mixture are mixtures
substances. that are made of visible because they Components cannot
Examples: more than one do not mix together be distinguished
•O-Oxygen element bound Particles not from each other,
•H- Hydrogen together. distributed evenly appear as one
•Na- Sodium Examples: substance
•C- Carbon •H2O and CO2 EX: sand and water Particles distributed
•Fe- Iron vegetable soup evenly throughout
•Pb- Lead A molecule is oil and water
The smallest formed when two EX: air, salt water,
particle of an or more atoms •Suspensions 10 karat gold
element that has chemically •colloids
the properties of combine. *SOLUTIONS
that element is an
atom.
 Because different amounts of
solute can be dissolved in a
solvent, we look at a solution’s
SOLUBILITY.
SOLUBILITY
 Definition: The mass of solute
that will saturate 100 g of
solvent at a specified
temperature.
 Thesolubility of a solid solute in
water increases as the
temperature increases.
 Everychemical substance which dissolves
in water has a fixed solubility.
◦ If it does not dissolve, solubility = zero.
o Saturated:
Maximum amount of solute dissolved in
solvent

o Unsaturated:
Less than maximum amount of solute dissolved
in solvent

o Supersaturated:
More than maximum amount of solute
dissolved in solvent

o Dilute:
to make less concentrated
A solubility curve is drawn by plotting solubility
against temperature.

Solubility curve for copper(ii) sulfate (CuSO4) in water

 When some materials are mixed together,
it is possible to separate the mixture and
get the original materials back again.

There are several different ways of

separating mixtures.
The best process to use depends on the
type of mixture you are separating.

Evaporation and Condensation Crystallisation Filtration

Fractional Distillation Simple Distillation

Magnetism Paper Chromatography Separating Funnel

1 2 As the solid has dissolved
This process is best used to
separate solutions -
mixtures in which a solid
has dissolved in a liquid.
4 If the gas is then condensed
on a cool surface, the liquid
can be recovered and
collected too. Examples of
mixtures to separate with
this process include salt and
water or sugar and water
in the liquid, filtering would
not separate the two
materials. The solid
particles would go through
the filter paper along with
the liquid.
3
When the solution is
evaporated, either through
boiling or by being left in a
warm place, the liquid will
turn into gas and leave the
solid behind.
Processes
Processes
Use this process to separate magnetic materials
from non-magnetic materials.

A magnet is used to attract any magnetic

materials and remove them from the
mixture.

You could separate a mixture of copper

nails and iron nails using this process.

Processes
 This process should be used to separate a
mixture of an insoluble solid and a liquid.
A funnel is lined with filter paper and placed over a beaker.
The mixture is poured slowly into the filter paper.

Insoluble solids will not have dissolved in the

liquid. The solid particles will not be able to get
through the tiny holes in the filter paper, and will
be caught in it (residue).

The liquid particles will go through the filter

paper into the beaker below (filtrate).

This process could be used to separate a

mixture of sand and water

Processes
 This process can be used to separate two or more immiscible
liquids that do not mix. They are separated due to their different
densities.

The mixture of liquids is left to settle, so the two liquids are visible as two
different layers.
The more dense liquid will be
the bottom layer. The tap is
open and the liquid with the
higher density will run out.

This process could be

used to separate a mixture
of oil and water.

Processes
This is used to separate and retain the solid solute from the liquid
solvent in a solution.

It is used if the solute decomposes on heating or if the solid containing

water of crystallisation is required, e.g. to obtain hydrated copper(ii)
sulphate from copper(ii) sulphate solution.
The components are
separated due to their
different volatilities.
The solvent must be
more volatile than the
solute so that it
evaporates and leaves
the solute behind.

Processes
This is used to separate and retain the liquid solvent rom the solid
solute in a solution, e.g. to obtain distilled water from tap water or
sea water. The component are separated due to their different
boiling points. The boiling point of the solvent must be lower than
that of the solute.

Processes
This is used to separate two or more miscible liquids with boiling
points that are close together, e.g. ethanol, boiling point 78 0C, and
water, boiling point 100 0C, Miscible liquids mix completely and are
separated due to their different boiling points.

Processes
Processes
Processes