Chapter 3

The ocean

3.1 Composition of sea water

3.2 Extraction of common salt from sea water

3.3 Isolation of pure water from sea water

3.4 Test for the presence of sodium and chloride in common salt

3.5 Test for the presence of water in a sample

3.6 Electrolysis of sea water and uses of products

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3.1 Composition of sea water

70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water.

About 97% of the water is found in the oceans.
Sea water contains about 3.5% by mass of dissolved substances.
There are 3.5 g of dissolved substances in 100 g of sea water.
Most of the dissolved substances in sea water are salts or
minerals.
magnesium
chloride
14.6%
sodium sulphate
common salt 11.4%
(sodium chloride)
68%

calcium chloride, 3.1%

other salts
2.9%
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Solute, solvent and solution

Sea water can also be regarded as a solution.

A solution is a mixture formed when one or more substances
(the solute) dissolves in another substance (the solvent).
solute + solvent = solution

A substance that dissolves in a solvent is said to be soluble in the

solvent.
A substance that does not dissolve in a solvent is said to be
insoluble in the solvent.
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Dilute solution, concentrated solution and saturated solution

A dilute solution contains a small amount of solute in a given

amount of solvent.

A concentrated solution contains a large amount of solute in a

given amount of solvent.

A saturated solution is a solution in which the solvent has

dissolved the maximum amount of the solute it can at a
particular temperature.

dilute concentrated saturated

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 Class practice 3.1
1. Identify the solute and the solvent in each of the
following cases.
(a) Sugar dissolves in water
Sugar is the solute and water is the solvent.
_____________________________________

(b) Magnesium chloride is added to water

_____________________________________
Magnesium chloride is the solute and water
_____________________________________
is the solvent.

(c) Iodine is mixed with alcohol

_____________________________________
Iodine is the solute and alcohol is the solvent.

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2. Solution A contains 10 g of sodium chloride in
100 cm3 of water while solution B contains 5 g of
sodium chloride in 100 cm3 of water. Which one is
more concentrated? Explain your answer.
Solution A is more concentrated than solution B.
_______________________________________
This is because solution A and solution B have
_______________________________________
the same volume but solution A contains a
_______________________________________
larger amount of solute than solution B.
_______________________________________

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3.2 Extraction of common salt from sea water

How do we separate sand from sea water?

Filtration
It is a method that separates an insoluble solid from a liquid or a
solution.
A glass rod is used to guide
glass rod
the flow of sea water down
the filter funnel.

a mixture of sand Very small

and sea water particles of
solvent and
filter paper dissolved
residue
filter funnel solutes pass
through the
filter paper
as filtrate.
filtrate
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How do we obtain common salt from sea water?

Evaporation
It refers to the change of a liquid to a vapour at a temperature
below its boiling point.
It is the method that heats the solution to dryness, leaving solutes
behind.
Impure salts obtained from sea water are sodium chloride,
magnesium chloride, etc.
evaporating dish
sea
sea water steam
water beaker
evaporating dish
water
wire gauze
tripod
heat tripod heat

Direct heating Heating with a steam bath

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How do we obtain pure common salt from sea water?
Crystallization
It is a process of formation of solid crystals from a saturated
solution.
It can separate a solute from a solution.

Method 1: Slow cooling of hot saturated sea water

Sea water is heated to remove some of the water.
As water boils away, sea water becomes more and more
concentrated, and finally saturated.
When hot saturated sea water cools slowly, the sea water cannot
hold all the dissolved common salt. Hence some common salt
crystals will separate out.

cool saturated
sea water
slow cooling
hot saturated common salt
sea water crystals form
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 Method 2: Slow evaporation of sea water at room temperature
When sea water is allowed to evaporate slowly at room
temperature, it becomes more and more concentrated.
Eventually, the sea water becomes saturated.
Further evaporation of the sea water will cause common salt
crystals to separate out.
As evaporation continues, the solid crystals grow slowly in size.
filter paper

sea
water
more
sea water saturated sodium chloride
concentrated
with respect to crystals
sea water
sodium chloride

How do we know that the solution is saturated enough to form crystals?

Remove a drop of the solution with a glass rod, and see whether
any solid forms when the drop cools.
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 Evaporation Crystallization

1. Evaporate
1. Heating the the solution
solution slowly.
2. Solution 2. Solution
Heating to
Method becomes becomes
dryness
saturated saturated
3. Cools the 3. Further
solution slowly evaporate
the solution

Form of
common salt Powder Small crystals Large crystals
obtained

Purity Low High High

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How do we obtain pure water from sea water?
Distillation
During this process, the sea water is boiled and the water
changes into water vapour.
Then the hot water vapour is cooled and condenses into water
again.
Using simple apparatus

thermometer

clamp
boiling delivery tube
tube
receiver test tube
sea
heat water end of delivery tube should be
anti-bumping granules above the distillate
water
(to prevent ‘bumping’ pure water
(cooling agent)
of solution) (distillate)
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 Using ‘Quickfit’ apparatus

thermometer

water out
Liebig
condenser

sea water
anti-bumping granules water in

heat
Distillate (pure water)

Cold running water is passed into the condenser from the lower
opening and leaves from the upper opening to provides a
better cooling effect. 13
 Filtration Obtain sodium chloride
from sea water

Evaporation
Separation of tea
leaves from tea

Simple
distillation Separation of nitrogen
and oxygen in air

Fractional
Obtain pure water
distillation
from sugar solution
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3.4 Test for the presence of sodium and chloride in common salt

Test for sodium

By flame test

Procedure:
Clean a platinum wire with concentrated hydrochloric acid.
Dip the wire into a sample.
Heat the wire in a non-luminous flame.
(Open the air hole of the Bunsen burner.)

Compound of
potassium sodium calcium copper
Flame
Lilac Golden yellow Brick-red Bluish green
color

15
Test for sodium ions
flame colour
non-luminous
due to metal
flame
ions

concentrated
hydrochloric sample of the
platinum acid salt to be
wire tested

(a) (b) (c)

Performing a flame test to identify metal ions in a
sample.
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Step 1
Moisten a clean platinum wire with
concentrated hydrochloric acid.

platinum concentrated
wire hydrochloric
acid

17
 Step 2
Dip the wire into a crushed sample (or
solution) of the salt to be tested.

non-luminous sample of the

flame salt to be
tested

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Step 3
Heat the end of the wire strongly in a non-
luminous flame.

flame colour due

to metal ions

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potassium ion sodium ion
(lilac) (brilliant golden yellow)
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calcium ion copper(II) ion
(brick-red) (bluish green)
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 The results of flame test of some metal
compounds are as follows:
Compound containing Flame colour
Potassium ion Lilac
Sodium ion Brilliant golden yellow
Calcium ion Brick-red
Copper(II) ion Bluish green

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Firework

23
Test for chloride
Using silver nitrate solution

Procedure:
Dissolve the sample in deionized water.
Add acidified silver nitrate solution to the sample solution.
(the solution is acidified by adding excess dilute nitric acid)
White precipitate is then formed.

add acidified silver

nitrate
solution of
white
common salt
precipitate
of silver
chloride

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 Class practice 3.3
A student identifies an unknown salt by performing
flame test and silver nitrate test. The observations of
the tests are shown below.

Test Observation

Flame test Lilac flame is observed.

Silver nitrate test White precipitate forms.

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(a) (i) Describe the procedure of the flame test.
_____________________________________
Moisten a clean platinum wire with
_____________________________________
concentrated hydrochloric acid. Then, dip
_____________________________________
the wire into a crushed sample (or solution)
_____________________________________
of the unknown salt. After that, heat the end
_____________________________________
of the wire strongly in a non-luminous flame.

(ii) What can be concluded form the observation

of the flame test.
_____________________________________
The unknown salt contains potassium.

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(b) (i) Describe the procedure of the silver nitrate test.
Dissolve the unknown salt sample in
_____________________________________
deionized water. Then, add excess dilute
_____________________________________
nitric acid to the salt solution formed. After
_____________________________________
that, add a few drops of silver nitrate solution
_____________________________________
to the salt solution.
_____________________________________
(ii) What can be concluded from the observation
of the silver nitrate test?
The unknown salt contains chloride.
_____________________________________

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3.5 Test for the presence of water in a sample

Method 1: using anhydrous copper(II) sulphate

It turns from white to blue.

dry cobalt(II)
Method 2: using dry cobalt(II) chloride paper chloride paper

It turns from blue to pink.

liquid
sample

These two tests cannot show that a sample is pure water.

To prove that it is pure water, we should check the boiling point.

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3.6 Electrolysis of sea water and uses of products

Electrolysis means ‘decomposition by electricity’.

Sea water is mainly a mixture of two compounds —
sodium chloride and water.
Hydrogen gas and chlorine gas form at the negative electrode
and the positive electrode respectively.
Finally, the sea water left behind becomes sodium hydroxide
solution.
hydrogen gas chlorine gas

sea water
graphite electrode (–) graphite electrode (+)

direction of
electron flow
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Uses of hydrogen
To make margarine
As rocket fuel
To make ammonia and fertilizers

Uses of chlorine
To make plastics (PVC)
To make solvent (chloroform)
To make bleach

Uses of sodium hydroxide

To make soaps
To make drain cleaner
To neutralize acidic waste water from factories
To make bleach
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