Mapua University

Senior High School

Science, Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics

Experiment 1:
Matter: Classification and Separation Techniques
Magliquian, Ethan Rae T. January 10, 2018
Mendoza, Abraham M.
Ong, Christian Gabriel A.
Ortega, Azriel Matthew O.
Palma, Katherine B.
Prof. Ardvin Kester S. Ong, RCT, RCH Group 5 – CHM01 – G111

ABSTRACT
Matter is anything that occupies space and has mass. Based on its chemical configuration and
structure, matter can be classified as either a pure substance or a mixture. A pure substance is
defined as a substance that is made of only one type of atom or molecule. It has a definite and
constant composition. On the other hand, mixture is a result of two or more substances that do not
react in chemical means, combine in which the pure substances retain their identities. The
components of a mixture may be separated by physical means, such as filtration or chemically
based on its ratio and physical properties. In able to isolate pure substances, separating mixtures is
important. A separation process is a method used to convert a mixture into two or more distinctive
substances (Wilson, Adlard, Cooke, 2000). The objective of the laboratory experiment is to apply
the techniques used to separate the components of a mixture. - Decantation, Filtration, Evaporation,
Distillation, Adsorption, and Sublimation. It was concluded that due to the difference in physical
and chemical properties of mixtures, it is possible to separate a solution into its original components
whether it is by chemical or physical means.
- Katherine B. Palma
Keywords: matter, mass, mixture, pure substance, filtration, separation process, decantation, filtration, evaporation,
distillation, adsorption
the same appearance and composition
Introduction
throughout or heterogeneous that does not
Matter is a substance that has inertia and blend smoothly throughout.
occupies physical space. According to
modern physics, it consists of several types of The type of mixture will determine the type of
particles, each with mass and size. It has two separation technique to apply. A lot of
classifications, a pure substance or a mixture. substances are needed in their pure form.
A pure substance has distinct properties, its Some of the compounds and elements are not
composition does not vary from sample to found in their pure form but can be found in
sample. A pure substance can be an element mixtures. Separation process is essential in
or a compound. An element is composed of chemistry and the modern industry.
only one kind of atom while a compound is
made up of two or more atoms. Another There are six types of separation techniques
classification of matter is mixture it is a performed in this lab experiment –
combination of two or more pure substances. Decantation, Filtration, Evaporation,
It can be classified as homogenous, which has Distillation, Adsorption, and Sublimation.

Group 5 CHM01 - AKSOng

 sand was poured into the water. When the
Decantation is the process of separating a particles of sand have already settled, the
heterogeneous mixture by tilting the mixture liquid was poured into another beaker without
and pouring out the top layer leaving large disturbing the settled solid at the bottom,
particles behind. This process could also be leaving the large particles in the container.
used to separate liquids that do not mix with Observations and data were gathered. The
each other. Filtration is one of the methods same steps were repeated with 1.0 gram of
used in separating a solid from a liquid, powdered chalk. The particles of chalk were
allowing the liquid to pass through a filter left to settle and the liquid was poured into
paper but not the solid particles. Evaporation another beaker. Observations and data were
is done by boiling off the water that escapes gathered.
as a vapour forming the residue. Distillation is
Filtration and Evaporation
a procedure by which two liquids with In a 150-mL beaker, 1.0 gram of sodium
different boiling points can be separated. It chloride (NaCl) and I.0 gram of powdered
can be used effectively to separate liquids that chalk were mixed. 25-mL of distilled water
have atleast 500 differences in their boiling was added in the mixture. The mixture was
points. Purified compounds will boil and then stirred for a minute. Using a 150-mL beaker
turn into vapour. By using two different as the container for the filtrate, the mixture
boiling points, you can separate the mixture. was filtered. The color of the filtrate was
In the process of Adsorption, an adsorbent is observed and data was recorded, it was then
used to adsorb another substance. It is transferred unto an evaporating dish. The
commonly used in removing moisture to filtrate was then evaporated until it was dry.
control humidity, while Sublimation is the
transition from solid phase to gas phase with
Distillation
no intermediate liquid phase. It occurs at The Distillation set-up was prepared. 50-mL
temperatures and pressures below what is of water was placed in a 150-mL beaker. 1.0
called the "triple point" of the substance. gram of blue dye was added and mixed in the
water. The color of the solution was observed
The objective of this laboratory experiment is and data was gathered. The solution was
to be able to use the equipment and laboratory poured into the distilling flask and was heated
apparatuses to separate the components of a until boiling. When about 10-mL of the
mixture as well as apply the suitable
distillate has been collected, a 150-mL beaker
technique for a variety of properties in was used as the container of the distillate. The
mixtures. color of the distillate was observed and data
-Abraham M. Mendoza was gathered. The steps were repeated but
using 1-mL of concentrated ammonium
Experimental Section hydroxide (NH4 OH). To determine whether
Equipment and Glassware the distillate is a base or an acid, 3 drops of
150-mL beaker, 400-mL beaker, 100-mL phenolphthalein was added to the distillate.
graduated cylinder, bunsen burner, iron stand, The color was observed and data was
wire gauze, glass stirring rod, filter paper, recorded.
funnel and funnel support.
Methodology Adsorption
40-mL of distilled water was placed in a 150-
Decantation mL beaker. 4 grams of sugar was placed unto
100-mL of distilled water was measured and the beaker and was stirred thoroughly to
was placed in a 150-mL beaker. 1.0 gram of dissolve the sugar. The color of the mixture

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was observed and data was recorded. 2 grams beaker to another container separating the
of powdered charcoal was added and was large particles from the liquid substance. The
combined with the mixture. The mixture was sand is insoluble in water and because some
placed into a bunsen burner and was heated of the smaller particles are less dense than the
until it boiled. With continuous stirring, it water, it did not settle at the bottom.
continued to boil for five minutes. It was As for the powdered chalk, some of its solid
removed from the burner and was left to cool substance dissolved in the water because of
down. It was filtered and the color of the its fineness and the non-solubility of chalk
filtrate was observed and data was recorded. (CaCO3) in water. The chalk dissolved and a
solution was formed.
Sublimation
350-mL of tap water was boiled inside a 400- The next part of the experiment was
mL beaker. In a 150-mL beaker, 2.0 grams of separating a mixture using Filtration and
powdered naphthalene and 0.5 grams of blue Evaporation. Table 2 shows the observations
dye were mixed. In another 400-mL beaker, it seen from the experiment.
was half-filled with ice. The beaker
containing the mixture of naphthalene and
Table 2. Results obtained from observing the
blue dye was placed on water through a
process of filtration and evaporation.
shallow dish. The beaker containing the ice
was placed on top of the beaker with the Color of the mixture White
mixture. The boiling water was poured on the
Color of the filtrate Clear
shallow dish. It was left for 5 minutes. The
bottom of the beaker containing the ice was Color of the residue White
observed and data was recorded.
In the observation on Table 2, Powdered
-Christian Gabriel A. Ong
chalk and sodium chloride or salt (NaCl) were
diluted in distilled water. The researchers
Results and Discussion
were able to separate the mixture by the
The lab experiment is showing some of the process of filtration. Using a filter paper, the
techniques used to separate the components of mixture was filtered. The solute was
a mixture. separated from the solvent.
The first part was separating a liquid from a The process of evaporation was conducted to
solid using decantation. Table 1 shows the vaporize the liquid leaving the residue on the
observations seen from the experiment. evaporating dish. This was possible since the
three substances all have different boiling
points.
Table 1. Results obtained from observing the
process of decantation The next part of the experiment was
separating a mixture using the process of
Sand and Water Clear distillation. Table 3 shows the observations
Powdered Chalk and Cloud white seen from the experiment
Water
Table 3. Results obtained from observing the
In the observation on Table 1, the components process of distillation
of the mixture were separated by the force of Color of the first solution Blue
gravity. The liquid is transferred from a

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Color of the first Light Blue This is another way of separating liquid and
distillate solid particles.
Color of the second solution White -Azriel Matthew O. Ortega
Color of the second distillate Yellow Conclusion
In this laboratory experiment, six techniques
Color of the second distillate Red-Violet were used to separate mixtures –Decantation,
after adding phenolphthalein Filtration, Evaporation, Distillation,
Adsorption, and Sublimation. Since there are
In the observation on Table 3, there were two variations of ratios in the components of
solutions, the blue dye and the ammonium every mixture, we conclude that the type of
hydroxide (NH4OH). These were separated by technique to be applied whether physical or
the process of distillation. The two solutions chemical, are based on differences in
were heated up to their boiling point in order properties. The separation of the components
for the liquid substance to evaporate. Then it of mixture is based upon the fact that every
was condensed that changed its gas phase into component of the mixture has a variety of
liquid phase. It was poured unto a beaker, physical properties.
leaving behind the other substances.
The difference in physical and chemical
The next part of the experiment was properties of mixtures does play a very
separating the components of a mixture by the important role in this laboratory experiment.
process of adsorption. Table 4 shows the Applying the techniques used to separate the
observations seen from the experiment. components of mixture, the team had learn
Table 4. Results obtained from observing the various effects which best describes the
process of adsorption results of Decantation, Filtration,
Color of the mixture Yellow - orange Evaporation, Distillation, Adsorption and
Sublimation.
Color of the filtrate Clear
For Decantation, we had produce a clean
In the observation on Table 4, Brown sugar decant for a both sand and chalk in salty
was mixed and diluted in distilled water. The water solution. The separation of the solid
color of the mixture turned into yellow- from the liquid leaving the undissolved solid
orange. Powdered charcoal was added and forming a residue is the process attributed to
mixed in the mixture. The adsorbent, which this activity.
is, the charcoal adsorbed the liquid and the
sugar. Activated charcoal can also be used to For Evaporation, boiling a mixture of
increase the surface area available for charcoal powder and water produces a
adsorption or chemical reactions. The filtrate
blackish color solution. The gas emitted by
is clear.
the process of boiling is a good example of
The last part of the experiment was separating evaporation where liquid is transformed into
a mixture using the process of sublimation. In its gaseous state. For Filtering, using filter
the observation, the solid substances, paper pouring the boiled charcoal solution
naphthalene and blue dye sublimed. This separates the insoluble charcoal solids from
made the solid substances turn into a gas the liquid mixture. The filtration process
phase producing moisture in the container.

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turns back the blackish water solution into Wilson, Ian., Adlard, Edward.,Cooke,
almost its original state which is clear water Michael. Encyclopedia of Separation
state. Science, San Diego, Academic Press, 2000

For Distillation, applying heat at the bottom Mustafa, Sana. Separation Techniques,
and cold water at the top resulted to vapours FUAAST, Karachi, Pakistan
eventually turning into a blue solution from
Riekkola, Marja-Liisa., Hartonen, Kari.
the powder blue dye. The heating of the Water as the First Choice Green Solvent,
solution containing soluble solids to form University of Helsinki, 2017
vapours of the liquid and then cooling the
vapours to get the liquid back is a clear Calderon, Edna., Santos, Nanette. Chemistry
example of distillation. Adding of Laboratory Manual – Part 1, 2016
phenolphthalein to removes the ammonium
hydroxide from the mixture resulted to a red-
violet solution. This demonstrates that by
distillation can be used to remove ammonium
hydroxide from the mixture.

For Adsorption, mixture of sugar and water

resulted into a yellow orange mixture
adsorbing the properties sugar into water.
Another good example is the charcoal
exercise where liquid and moisture are both
adsorb because of its huge surface area and
carbon atoms which allows it easily to absorb
moistures.

For Sublimation, the naphthalene sublime

combined with moisture resulted into
formation of ice like substance. Applying
heat into the substance results to directly
transform solid into gas without passing
through the liquid state.

Ethan Rae T. Magliquian

References:
Schweitzer, Philip. Handbook of Separation
Techniques for Chemical Engineers, Mc-
Graw Hill, 1997

Group 5 CHM01 - AKSOng