Exploring

Diversity of
Matter Using
Separation
Techniques
 ❖ Describe methods of separation
and purification for the
components of mixtures.

❖ Identify an appropriate
Learning separation technique to
separate a mixture based on
Objectives the physical properties
(solubility, density, melting and
boiling points, thermal stability,
magnetic property and particle
size) of the components making
up the mixture.
 How would you obtain salt from the
mixture of salt and sand?

Step 1:
Add water
to mixture

Mixture of salt Mixture of salt

and sand solution and sand
 How would you obtain salt from the
mixture of salt and sand?

Step 2:
Filter the
mixture

Salt solution
Mixture of salt __________________ is
solution and sand
obtained as the filtrate
 How would you obtain salt from the
mixture of salt and sand?

Step 3:
Heat the
mixture

…until all the

water has
evaporated
Salt solution
 Separation Technique:
Evaporation to dryness

What physical
property does the
Salt solution separation depend on?
 Solubility:
Solid is soluble in the
liquid (forming a solution)
Physical
properties of the
components
in a mixture

What else?
 Evaporation to dryness
Solution is heated until all the solvent has evaporated.

Water in the
solution is lost to
the atmosphere.

salt solution evaporating dish

Salt remains as a
white solid in the
evaporating dish.
Not all soluble substances
can be obtained by
evaporation till dryness.

Decomposed
sugar!
 Solubility:
Solid is soluble in the
liquid (forming a solution)
Physical
properties of the
components
in a mixture Thermal stability:
The solid obtained must
be thermally stable (does
not decompose on
heating)
Are there other disadvantages of evaporation to
dryness?

Will the solid obtained

after evaporation to
dryness be pure?

Seawater

• The solid obtained by evaporation till dryness is

not always pure. Any soluble impurities will be
left together with the solid after the process is
completed.
 Separation Technique:
Crystallisation

Copper(II) sulfate
solution
What are crystals?
How does crystallisation work?
 How does crystallisation work?

Crystallisation occurs because the solubility of the

solute decreases as the temperature decreases. When
the solution cools, the extra solute that cannot remain
dissolved is separated as pure crystals.
 Crystallisation
copper(II) sulfate
solution
Step 1

• The solution is heated

to remove most of the
solvent (water).

• Heating is stopped
when a saturated
solution is formed.
 Crystallisation
Step 2 a solution that contains as much dissolved
solute as it can at a given temperature

• The hot, saturated solution is allowed to cool.

• The dissolved copper(II) sulfate appears as pure crystals.

Rapid cooling produces small

crystals while slow cooling
produces large crystals.

copper(II) sulfate crystals

 Crystallisation
Step 3
• The cold solution with crystals is filtered.

• The crystals (residue) are washed with small volume

of cold distilled water and filtered again. The filtrate
contains soluble impurities.

• The crystals (the residue) are then dried by pressing

them between pieces of filter paper.

filter paper
pure copper(II)
sulfate crystals
Crystallisation
Which do you think is the
most important step in
crystallisation?

Why would crystals

appear upon cooling?
How is crystallisation used in daily life?

•Production of silicon
wafers for microchips
used in electronic
equipment and solar
cells (the silicon has to
be very pure!)

•Production of sucrose
from sugar beets and
sugar cane
Compare the two separation techniques:
1. Evaporation to dryness
2. Crystallisation

(Compare = Similarities and differences)

Similarities
Both are methods to obtain a solute from a solution
 Differences

Method Evaporation till Crystallisation

Dryness
Properties of solid
Extent of heating
Purity of solid
obtained
 Differences
Method Evaporation to Crystallisation
Dryness
Properties of solid - Soluble in - Soluble in
solvent used solvent used
- Thermally - Thermally
stable stable/unstable
Extent of heating Until all solvent Until solution is
has evaporated saturated
Purity of solid Impure Pure
obtained
 Crystallisation
• https://youtu.be/d2kx0GzSYBA
(growing and crystallization of copper(II) sulfate crystals)
concept of crystallization

• https://youtu.be/k3nClG-DT7w
• (DIY crystal at home – copper(II) sulfate
Growing crystals

• https://youtu.be/ka6o5VCPRF8 [2:39-4:04]
• (GCSE Science Revision Chemistry – filtration & crystallization)

• https://youtu.be/XV6gOEq1CRk
copper(II) sulfate time-lapse
 PR 4.1
(Crystallisation &
Evaporation till dryness)
Copper(II) sulfate obtained through crystallisation

Appearance: Blue crystals

Copper(II) sulfate obtained through evaporation to
dryness

Appearance: White powder

Why is the appearance different?

Heating copper(II)
sulfate to dryness
removes the water
of crystallization.