Exploring Life Through Science

MODULE
IN
INTEGRATED SCIENCE 7

(CHEMISTRY)
By:

MIGNON CECILIA S. DIEGO

SCIENCE AT WORK
MODULE

3
 Overview

Mixtures consist of two or more elements or compounds. It is possible to

separate mixtures into their component pure substances. The separation can be done
physically, using procedures such as grinding, dissolving, or filtering. Chemical processes are
not needed to separate mixtures.

Concepts in a Box

MATTER

Can it be
physically
separated?

NO - Pure
YES - Mixture
Substance

Can it be
Is it
decomposed
homogeneous?
chemically?

NO - YES -
NO- Element YES-Compound Heterogeneous Homogeneous
mixture mixture

Does it conduct
electricity?

YES -
NO - Nonmetal
Metal
 ENGAGE
We can illustrate the difference between pure substance and mixtures by looking at salt
water. Water that has been purified is a pure substance that is composed of hydrogen and
oxygen, always in the same proportions. Salt water, on the other hand, is water mixed with salt
and many other substances in varying proportions. For example, the Great Salt Lake in Utah is
approximately 10% salt, while the Dead Sea is about 30% salt. In either case, we can readily
separate salt from water by evaporating the water (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Desalination, to collect salt,

water is diverted into large
ponds. The water evaporates,
leaving solid salt behind.

Practice Problem!
Identify the things in your home which represent mixtures? Which are heterogeneous?
Which are homogeneous?

Heterogeneous Properties to make it Homogeneous Properties to make it

Heterogeneous Homogeneous
 EXPLORE
Mixtures differ in uniformity of composition. A homogeneous mixture has a
uniform composition throughout and is often called a solution. Most solutions that we
commonly encounter are composed of compounds dissolved in water. They are often clear.
For example, a well-mixed sample of salt water prepared in a kitchen is uniform in appearance.
The salt dissolved in it is invisible. Furthermore, any microscopically small portion of the
sample would have the same composition as any other. The particles in the mixture might not
be arranged in exactly the same pattern, but each sample, regardless of size, would have the
same components in the same proportions.

Figure 2. Salt solution

A mixture that is not uniform throughout – a mixture of salt and pepper, for
instance – is a heterogeneous mixture. Different samples have their components present in
different proportions.

Figure 3.
 Evaluate
Short quiz scheduled for November 15, 2021 at your portal.

Activity 1: Messin’ With Mixture

In this activity, students investigate the properties of a heterogeneous mixture, trail mix (Dingdong
Mixed Nuts), as if it were a contaminated soil sample near a construction site. This activity shows
students that heterogeneous mixtures can be separated by physical means, and that when separated, all
the parts will equal the whole. This engineering curriculum aligns to Next Generation Science Standards
(NGSS).

Trail mix is a great example of a heterogeneous mixture

Engineering Connection
Separation of mixtures based on physical means is something that engineers are involved with quite
frequently. Environmental engineers may be concerned with separating oil from water in the case of an oil
spill, and chemical engineers may work with separating gasoline from oil to use for fuel. Both of these
examples deal with separation by physical means but engineers might also work with separation of
mixtures or solutions through chemical means. Engineers also use separation of mixtures and solutions in
designing water and air treatment processes, and new medicines.

Learning Objectives
After this activity, students should be able to:

 Discuss properties of mixtures and solutions.

 Discuss methods for separating mixtures and solutions into their original components.
 Describe several engineering applications for mixtures and solutions.
Materials List
 Small bag of trail mix (you can use Dingdong Mixed Nuts if trail mix is not available)
 M&M® candy or other small candy (nips) – 3 pieces per student
 Stop watch or other timepiece
 Calculator

Procedure
Before the Activity
1. Prepare the materials
2. Document yourself in doing this activity.
3. A worksheet is provided to you after the procedure part.
4. Submit Activity Sheet with your documentation to the submission folder at your
portal on or before prescribed submission date.

With the Students

1. The trail mix will be the small sample of soil that was found outside of a construction
site. Most soils are made up of many different small components. Some of the
components in this soil sample are contaminants (dust, lead, paint). Soil contaminants
can have high health risks when we come in direct contact with the soil or when the
contaminants break down into the surrounding ground water and into our water
resources. As environmental engineers, they need to determine the percent of each
material found in the soil sample. This will help them decide how to clean up the
contaminated soil.
2. Have the students observe their trail mix and ask them to classify it as a mixture or a
solution.
3. Once they have determined that the bag is a mixture, have the students find the mass of
each item/part. For this step, the students need to weigh everything. This includes little
pieces of cereal or the "skins" from the peanuts.
4. Using the Soil Sleuths Worksheet as a guide, have the student groups compute the
percentage of each part of the trail mix (i.e., What percent of the trail mix is peanuts?)
This is one way engineers may measure the amounts of materials in something like a soil
sample, in order to determine what materials are present and what form of clean up is
needed. Have students round their percentages to the nearest hundredth. Compare this
process of rounding money – peso and cents. The final percentage should be close to
100%.
5. Have the students analyze their soil samples. For example, if peanuts and raisins are
normal components of soil, such as minerals and organic matter, then how many
contaminants (other parts of the trail mix), such as lead, dust and paint, were found in
the sample? What percentage of the soil was contaminated? (Have the students add the
percentages of the "other parts.") Was their sample pretty contaminated or not? What
situations would a contaminated soil sample be of concern to engineers? (Possible
answers: where animals graze, where people are building homes, parks, schools,
playgrounds, drinking water, etc.)
6. Finally, let the students enjoy the snacks as they discuss how a mixture is different from
a solution. (When they are finished with Part 1, the teacher may let the students eat the
trail mix, if desired.)
Name:______________________________________________

Activity 1:Messin’ With Mixtures – Soil Sleuths Worksheet

1. Look at the items in Bag A (Bag of mixed nuts with m&m’s /nips). What do you see?
__________________________________________________________________________________

2. If peanuts and raisins (or green peas) are the regular components of soil, how many different types
of contaminants are present in your soil sample? ___________

3. What is the total mass of your bag? Be sure to subtract the mass of the bag itself. Record this
amount in the “Mass of Mixture” column of the chart.

4. Separate the parts of the items and find the mass of each group. Use the following formula to
calculate the percentage for each part of the mixture. Record your data in the chart.
Mass ÷ Mass of Mixture x 100 = % of Mixture

5. Check your answer by adding up all the numbers in Column 4. The total should be 100 because all
the parts of your mixture combine to make up the whole mixture.

1. Item 2. Mass (g) 3. Mass of Mixture (g) 4. % of Mixture

Total =

6. What percentage of the soil was contaminated? _________________

7. What situations would a contaminated soil sample be of concern to engineers?

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

References/Further Readings

Bauer, R.C., Birk, J.P., and Marks, P.S. 2016. Introduction to General Chemistry. 4 th
edition. Mc Graw Hill Education and Abiva Publishing House, Inc. Philippines.

Ferriols-Pavico, J.M. and Darvin-Faraon, G. 2006. Integrated Science. Phoenix Publishing

House, Inc., Quezon City, Philippines.

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https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/cub_mix_lesson3_activity1