Notes

Chapter 2 - Is Matter Around Us Pure ( Pg 19 to Pg 23 )

Separating the components of a Mixture to get a pure substance:

 Separation makes it possible to study and use the individual components of a mixture.
 Heterogeneous mixtures can be separated into their respective constituents by simple
physical methods like handpicking, sieving, filtration that we use in our day-to-day
life.
 The method to be used for separating a mixture depends on the nature of its
constituents. Here are a few techniques used to separate various constituents of
mixture.

1 To obtain coloured component ( Dye) from Blue/Black Ink by Evaporation:

Refer to activity 2.4 of NCERT (pg no. 19)

Ink is a mixture of a dye in water. Thus, we can separate the volatile component (solvent)
from its non-volatile solute by the method of evaporation. Evaporation is used to separate
a solid substance that has dissolved in water (or any other liquid).
Principle: The use of process of evaporation for separating a mixture is based on the fact
that liquids vaporise easily whereas solids do not vaporise easily.
Application: Evaporation is used on a large scale to obtain common salt from sea water.
2 To separate cream from milk by Centrifugation: Refer to Activity 2.5 of NCERT
(pg no. 19)

Centrifugation is a method of separating the suspended particles of a substance from a liquid,

in which the mixture is rotated (or spun) at a high speed in a centrifuge.
Principle: The denser particles are forced to the bottom and the lighter particles stay at the
top when spun rapidly.
Applications:
1 Used in diagnostic laboratories for blood and urine tests.
2 Used in dairies and homes to separate butter from cream.
3 Used in washing machines to squeeze out water from wet clothes.

3 To separate a mixture of two immiscible liquids using Separating Funnel: Refer to

Activity 2.6 of NCERT (pg no. 20)
A separating funnel is a type of funnel which has a stopcock in its stem to allow the flow
of liquid from it, or to stop the flow of liquid from it. The separation of two immiscible
liquids depends on the difference in their densities.
 Principle: Immiscible liquids separate out in layers depending on their densities.
Applications:
1 To separate mixture of oil and water.
2 In the extraction of iron from its ore, the lighter slag is removed from the
top leaving the molten iron at the bottom in the furnace.

4 To separate a mixture of salt and ammonium chloride by Sublimation:

The changing of a solid directly into vapours on heating and of vapours into solid on
cooling is called sublimation. The solid which undergoes sublimation is said to sublime.
The solid substance obtained by cooling the vapours is known as sublimate. Substances
like ammonium chloride, camphor, iodine, naphthalene and anthracene can be
separated from a mixture by sublimation.
Principle: The process of sublimation is used to separate that component of solid-solid
mixture which sublimes on heating (the other component of the mixture being non-
volatile).
Here is an example to show how sublimation helps in separating common salt and
ammonium chloride-

- Take a mixture of common salt and ammonium chloride in a china dish placed on a
tripod stand.
- Cover the china dish with an inverted glass funnel and put a cotton plug on the open end
of the funnel to prevent vapours going to the atmosphere.
- Heat the mixture using burner. On heating, ammonium chloride changes into white
vapours which rise up and get converted into solid ammonium chloride on coming in
contact with cold inner walls of the funnel.
 - Here, pure ammonium chloride collects on inner walls of the funnel in the form of the
sublimate and can be removed. Since common salt is not prone to sublimation so it
remains behind in the china dish.
5 To separate the dyes present in black ink by Chromatography: Refer to activity 2.7
of NCERT (pg no. 21)

 Chromatography is based on the fact that though two or more substances are soluble in
same solvent (say water) but their solubility may be different.
 It can be used to separate dye from ink. The method for separation is as follows:-
- Take a thin and long strip of filter paper. Draw a pencil line on it, about three
centimeters from one end.
- Put a small drop of ink on filter paper strip at the centre of the pencil line. Let the ink
dry.
- When the drop of ink has dried, the filter paper strip is lowered into a tall glass jar
containing some water in its lower part (keeping the pencil line at the bottom). The strip
should be held vertical. Please note that though the lower end should dip in water but
pencil line should remain above the water level.
- When the water reaches the top end, the strip is removed from the jar and dried. The
paper containing separate coloured spots is obtained.
Principle: A dye is mixture of two or more colours . The coloured component that is more
soluble in water rises faster and in this way the colour gets separated.
Applications:
1 Used to separate colours in a dye.
2 Used to separate pigments from natural colours.
3 Used to separate drugs from blood.
6 To separate a mixture of two miscible liquids by Distillation : Refer to activity 2.8
of NCERT (pg no. 21)
Figure below shows the process of Distillation.
This process is valid only when the difference in boiling point is more than 25 K.

Distillation is the process of heating a liquid to form vapour, and then cooling the vapour
to get back liquid.
This process is used to separate two liquids which are miscible i.e. they mix into each
other in all proportions and form a single layer when put in a container. In this method,
we start heating a liquid to form vapour, then cooling the vapour to get back liquid. The
liquid obtained by condensing the vapour is called distillate.

Figure below shows the process of Fractional Distillation.

This process is valid only when the difference in boiling point is less than 25 K.
 Fractional distillation is a process of separating two or more miscible liquids by
distillation, the distillate being collected in fractions boiling at different temperatures.
 When the boiling point difference between two miscible liquids is less than 25 K, then
fractional distillation is used. In this process, except distillation apparatus, a fractionating
column is fitted in between distillation flask and the condenser.
 A simple fractionating column has glass beads. These beads provide surface for
vapours to cool and condense rapidly.
Principle: Distillation separates the various miscible liquids according to their boiling
points : the more volatile liquid ( having lower boiling point) distils over first, and then
the less volatile liquid ( having higher boiling point) distils over later.
Applications of distillation:
1 Used to separate mixtures of miscible liquids ( like acetone-water mixture, alcohol-
water mixture) in the laboratory.
2 Used to separate crude oil ‘petroleum’ into useful fractions such as kerosene, petrol and
diesel, etc.
3 Used to separate gases of the air
Separation of the Gases of the Air:
-Air is a mixture of gases like nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide etc.
- The various gases of air are separated from one another by the fractional distillation of
liquid air.
- This separation is based on the fact that the different gases of air ( in liquid form) have
different boiling points.
 6 To obtain pure Copper Sulphate from an impure sample by Crystallisation:
Refer to activity 2.9 of NCERT (pg no. 23)
The process of cooling a hot, concentrated solution of a substance to obtain crystals is
called crystallisation. The process of crystallization is used for obtaining a pure solid in
the form of its crystals from a solution.
Crystallisation technique is better than evaporation because:
- Some solids decompose some like sugar get charred on heating to dryness.
- The soluble impurities do not get removed in the process of evaporation but such
impurities get removed in crystallisation.
Applications-
1 Purification of salt that we get from sea water.
2 Separation of crystals of alum (phitkari) from impure sample.

 Supply of Drinking water in a city involves various separation processes as shown

below in the water purification system in water works.

Also refer to the given video Links for online tutorial:

Separation of components: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TS9qPuKRgI
Separation of components of Air: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPIzSb073GI
Mind Map