Tag: separation of components of mixtures

Chromatography is a method of separation that works on adsorption. Different components of the mixture have different affinities for the stationary phase and the mobile phase. In other words, the extent of adsorption on the stationary phase, is different for different components of the mixture.

The two immiscible liquids having different densities can be separated by separating funnel.

Gaseous diffusion is based on Graham's law, which states that the rate of effusion of a gas is inversely proportional to the square root of its molecular mass. For example, in a box with a semipermeable membrane containing a mixture of two gases, the lighter molecules will pass out of the container more rapidly than the heavier.

Fractional distillation is a separation process for liquid-liquid mixture into its component parts, or fractions.
The separation depends on the difference in the  boiling point (usually 25 $^o$C at 1 atm) of individual components. The mixture is heated to a temperature at which one or more fractions of the compound will vaporize.   
For boiling point difference greater than 25 $^o$C, a simple distillation is used.

Membranes used in solubility based gas separation are inorganic, polymeric and hybrid membranes.
Microporous inorganic membranes are usually amorphous in nature and formed from metals, ceramics, or pyrolyzed carbon. The use of polymer membrane has generated an increasing interest in gas separation. Also different types of membrane has been used to enhance gas separation.

Porous and non-porous are two types of membrane.
They work through a different mechanism.
Highly selective nonporous membranes must be very thin to achieve reasonable capacities per unit area. This limits their mechanical strength.
Porous membranes typically contain larger voids than non-porous membranes which have interconnected pores significantly larger than the molecular diameters of gases passing through them.

Gas mixtures can be effectively separated by synthetic membranes made from polymers such as polyamide or cellulose acetate, or from ceramic materials.

 A gaseous mixture containing CO$ _2$ and CO can be separated by solvent extraction.
The mixture is passed through water.  CO$ _2$ dissolves in water whereas CO does not.

In a mixture of NH$ _3$ and H$ _2$, NH$ _3$ gets liquefied under pressure
Liquefaction of gases is the process by which a gas is converted to a liquid. In a mixture of NH$ _3$ and H$ _2$, NH$ _3$ gets liquefied under high pressure and H$ _2$ is left behind.
Note: NH$ _3$ has a higher value of the van der Waal's constant 'a' than $H _{2}$
Hence, NH$ _3$ is more easily liquefiable than H$ _2$.

Liquefaction is useful when one gas is easily liquefiable.
Liquefaction of gases is the process by which a gas is converted to a liquid by applying high pressure and low temperature. For example, oxygen normally occurs as a gas. However, by applying high pressure and by reducing the temperature, oxygen can be converted to a liquid.
Note:
In a mixture of NH$ _3$ and H$ _2$, NH$ _3$ gets liquefied under pressure
Liquefaction of gases is the process by which a gas is converted to a liquid. In a mixture of NH$ _3$ and H$ _2$, NH$ _3$ gets liquefied under high pressure and H$ _2$ is left behind.
NH$ _3$ has higher value of the van der Waal's constant 'a' than
Hence, NH$ _3$ is more easily liquefiable than H$ _2$.