Rf =

known substances distance travelled by solvent

(b) pure and impure substances
Cambridge IGCSE A* Chemistry Notes Ms Joan Yuen|vbest.edu.my

12.4 Separation and purification

Core Supplement
1 Describe and explain methods of separation and
purification using:
(a) a suitable solvent
(b) filtration
(c) crystallisation
(d) simple distillation
(e) fractional distillation
2 Suggest suitable separation and purification
techniques, given information about the
substances involved
3 Identify substances and assess their purity using
melting point and boiling point information

Methods of SEPERATION
12.5 Identification of ions and gases

Core Supplement
1 Describe tests to identify the anions:
(a) carbonate, CO32–, by reaction with dilute acid
and then testing for carbon dioxide gas
(b) chloride, Cl –, bromide, Br –, and iodide, I –, by
acidifying with dilute nitric acid then adding
aqueous silver nitrate
(c) nitrate, NO3–, reduction with aluminium foil
and aqueous sodium hydroxide and then
testing for ammonia gas
(d) sulfate, SO42–, by acidifying with dilute nitric
acid and then adding aqueous barium nitrate
(e) sulfite, SO32–, by reaction with acidified
aqueous potassium manganate(VII)

Mixtures of liquids

36 1. Immiscible liquids can be separated using

www.cambridgeinternational.org/igcse Back to contents page
a ……………………….. ………………………or by decanting (pouring carefully)

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Filtration

1. Used to separate an ………………………. solid from a mixture of the solid and liquid / solution

ü e.g. sand from a mixture of sand and salt water

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Evaporation and Crystallisation

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Making solid copper(II) sulfate crystal

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Simple Distillation

1. Used to separate …………………………….……………… (solvent) from solution , leaving the solute behind.

ü e.g. water from a solution of salt water

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Fractional distillation

1. Used to separate two or more liquids that are miscible with one another :

ü With ……………………………….…………… boiling point

2. The solution is heated :

ü the substance with the ………………………………….. boiling point will rise and EVAPORATE first

ü and vapours will pass through a …………………………….….……………..,

ü where they COOL and …………………..,

ü turning into a LIQUID that will be collected in a beaker

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Q# 3/ iGCSE Chem/2015march/Paper 6/

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Q# 7/ iGCSE Chem/2014s/Paper 6/

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Q# 13/ iGCSE Chem/2011s/Paper 6/

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Q# 23/ iGCSE Chem/2007s/Paper 6/

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Q# 34/ iGCSE Chem/2003/w/Paper 6/

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Q# 36/ iGCSE Chem/2003s/Paper 6/

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Q# 20/ iGCSE Chem/2009s/Paper 6/

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Q# 22/ iGCSE Chem/2008s/Paper 6/

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2020 mJ 63 2

1 A sample of rock salt contains sodium chloride and sand.

Sodium chloride is soluble in water. Sand is insoluble in water.

A student obtained dry crystals of pure sodium chloride from a lump of rock salt.
These are some of the steps the student used.

step 1 step 2 step 3

sand
rock salt
A B

grind the rock salt add the rock salt to water and heat filter the mixture
into smaller pieces while stirring with a glass rod

(a) Name the apparatus labelled A in step 1.

.............................................................................................................................................. [1]

(b) Explain why the mixture is heated and stirred in step 2.

.............................................................................................................................................. [1]

(c) (i) Name the apparatus labelled B in step 3.

....................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) State the scientific term for the sand left on the filter paper in step 3.

....................................................................................................................................... [1]

(d) Describe what the student must do after step 3 to obtain dry crystals of pure sodium chloride.

....................................................................................................................................................

....................................................................................................................................................

....................................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................. [3]

[Total: 7]

© UCLES 2020 0620/63/M/J/20

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2017 ON 61 2

1 A student reacted dilute hydrochloric acid with zinc oxide to prepare zinc chloride solution.
The diagram shows part of the procedure.

zinc chloride
solution

unreacted
zinc oxide
funnel

.........................................

(a) Complete the box to name the apparatus. [1]

(b) Which of the reactants was in excess?

.............................................................................................................................................. [1]

(c) (i) Name the separation process this apparatus is used for.

....................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) Suggest why this apparatus would not work.

.............................................................................................................................................

....................................................................................................................................... [1]

(d) Describe how crystals of zinc chloride could be obtained from the zinc chloride solution.

....................................................................................................................................................

....................................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................. [3]

[Total: 7]

© UCLES 2017 0620/61/O/N/17

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An important aspect of chemistry is purity and methods of purifi

(a) Give an example of subtacation. used in everyday life which must be pure.

.............................................................................................................................................. [1]

(b) A list of techniques used to separate mixtures is given below.

chromatography rystall diffusion

evaporation filtratio
ltrationn fractional dis illatio simple distillation

(i) From the list, choose the most suitable technique to separate the following.

water from sea-water ..........................................................................................................

helium from a mixture of helium and methane ...................................................................

ethanol from a mixture of ethanol and propanol .................................................................

iron filings from a mixture of iron filings and water .............................................................

a mixture of two amino acids, glycine and alanine .............................................................

[5]

(ii) Describe how you would obtain a pure sample of copper(II) sulfate-5-water crystals from
a mixture of copper(II) sulfate-5-water with copper(II) oxide using some of the techniques
A list oflisted
techniques
above. used to separate mixtures is given

below. filtration
.............................................................................................................................................
diffusion
.............................................................................................................................................
fractional distillation
.............................................................................................................................................
simple distillation
.............................................................................................................................................
crystallisation
chromatography
....................................................................................................................................... [4]

From this list, choose the most suitable technique to separate the following mixtures. [Total: 10]
A technique may be used once, more than once or not at all.

(a) butane from a mixture of propane and butane ........................................................... [1]

(b) oxygen from liquid air ................................................................................................. [1]

(c) water from aqueous magnesium sulfate ..................................................................... [1]

(d) potassium chloride from aqueous potassium chloride ................................................ [1]

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(e) silver chloride from a mixture of silver chloride and water .......................................... [1]

(f) glucose from a mixture of glucose and maltose ......................................................... [1]

[Total: 6]

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The following techniques are used to separate mixtures.

A simple distillation B fractional distillation C evaporation

D chromatography E filtration F diffusion

From this list, choose the most suitable technique to separate the following.

(a) methane from a mixture of the gases, methane and ethane .................. [1]

(b) water from aqueous magnesium sulfate .................. [1]

(c) glycine from a mixture of the amino acids, glycine and lysine ................... [1]

(d) iron filings from a mixture of iron filings and water .................. [1]

(e) zinc sulfate crystals from aqueous zinc sulfate .................. [1]

(f) hexane from a mixture of the liquids, hexane and octane .................. [1]

[Total: 6]

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