Tag: basic analytical techniques

Salt (NaCl) is a non-volatile substance which do not evaporate on heating directly. Ammonium chloride is a volatile substance which can evaporate on heating.

The mixture of sugar and chalk powder can be separated by addition of water. Sugar will dissolve in water while chalk will not. The mixture can be filtered and separated.

Physical separation techniques depend on the physical properties of the substance. These physical properties include physical state, solubility, boiling point, melting point, density, specific gravity, electrical and magnetic properties.

1. Washing: Insoluble solids like noble metals and compounds like silica can be washed with water until all the other impurities leave them. Washing can also be done with organic solvents when there is a mixture with soluble impurities and insoluble compound.
2. Decanting: When the densities of two liquids that are immiscible in one another are to be separated this method can be used. Separating funnel helps to separately collect the tow liquids. In case of solids the lighter solids can be separated by decanting it in water medium when both of the solids are not soluble. By blowing air also the separation can be done with very light and heavy solid mixtures.
3. Distillation: Mixtures of liquids can be separated when their boiling points are different by this technique. The mixture is slowly heated in a distillation flask. The component having the low boiling point vaporizes first. The vapors are collected by condensing them in Leibig's condenser. Mixtures containing more than two liquids can also be separated by this technique but the difference in boiling points must be at least 20C between each of them. Distillation can also be used to separate dissolved salts from their aqueous solutions. Sea water is distilled by the Sun rays to form clouds which rain fresh water without salts. Mixture of gases are separated by reducing their temperature and converting all the gases in to liquid state. By gradational increasing of temperatures each liquified gas gets converted into gaseous state and can be separated.
4. Fractional distillation: When the difference in the boiling points are nearby to each other and not much, a detailed distillation is carried out which is called fractional distillation. It is done in a column called fractionating column. Fractionating column allows the condensation of different solvents at different temperatures and sending back the mixture fraction in to the flask. Petroleum distillation is done in the fractionating column in to various components over a wide range of temperatures. Melting point differences can also be utilized in the same way as boiling point in separation of mixtures. Icebergs are formed which are solidified fresh water is based on the depression of freezing point phenomenon.
5. Solubility: Different compounds have different amounts of solubility at a certain temperature. When no more solid is soluble in solvent at a particular temperature it is called its saturation point at that temperature. In a mixture if one component is more soluble and the other less at a given temperature, they can be separated by this technique.
6. Electrical and Magnetic separation: Electrolytes and non electrolytes, magnetic and non magnetic substances can be separated by this technique of separation using either electrical field or magnetic field.

sugar is organic,(contains carbon) and is soluable in organic solvents like alcohol. Salt is insoluable in alcohol. 
Add alcohol to the mixture, filter out the salt, then evaporate the alcohol and the sugar will be left.

Ammonium chloride on heating changes into white vapors and then solidifies on cooling.

Both common salt and ammonium chloride are white powdery substance and dissolve in water to  form a homogeneous mixture. On filtration, none of these will separate form the liquid.  A mixture of common salt and ammonium chloride can be separated by sublimation.

Sublimation is conversion of solid of vapors on heating and vapors to solid on cooling. The solid which undergoes sublimation is called sublime, whereas the solid obtained by cooling vapors is called sublimate.

Sublimation can be used to separate all those substances which can sublimise easily like naphthalene, ammonium chloride and anthracene.

Ammonium chloride changes directly from solid to gaseous state on heating. Hence, it can be separated from sand using sublimation.

Sublimation is the transition of a substance directly from the solid to the gas phase without passing through the intermediate liquid phase. Ammonium chloride, camphor, anthracene can sublime but common salt cannot sublime.