Sec 1 Science Notes

Separation Techniques – Describe the Steps Clearly

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Secondary 1 Topic
Separation Techniques
This science revision note aims to help your child:
- Apply the various separation techniques in a real-life scenario.

Learning outcomes:

 What are the various separation techniques?

Definition
Filtration

 Filtration is a method suitable

to separate insoluble solids
from liquids.

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Evaporation till dryness

 Evaporation till dryness is a

method to obtain soluble
solid from a mixture. It is
used to separate a dissolved
solid from its solvent by
heating the mixture until all
the solvent has vaporised.

Crystallisation

 Crystallisation is a method to
obtain pure soluble solid
from its saturated solution.

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Simple distillation

 Simple distillation is a method

used to separate solid-liquid
mixture.
 It is used to obtain the
solvent from the mixture.

Fractional distillation
 Fractional distillation is a
method used to separate
liquid-liquid mixture which
are miscible.
 E.g. Water and alcohol are
mixed together. We can use
fractional distillation method
to separate them.

Magnetic attraction

 A magnet can be used to

separate magnetic solids
from non-magnetic solids.

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2. When to use each separation technique?

Type of mixtures
Solid-solid mixture Solid-liquid Liquid-liquid
mixture mixture
Magnetic attraction Filtration Separating funnel
Sieving Evaporation to Chromatography
dryness
(Separate large solids from smaller
solid pieces.)

E.g. separate iron filings from

large pieces of rocks
Using suitable solvents Crystallization Fractional
distillation
Sublimation Simple distillation

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Question

Ms Tan is a school laboratory technician. She has three containers filled with
iron filings, chalk powder and sugar respectively. In an act of mischief, some
students mix the contents of the containers.

Design an experiment to help Ms Tan separate the mixture of iron filings, chalk
powder and sugar. State clearly the separation techniques that are used and
what substance(s) is/are separated.

STEP 1: Recall

How to separate iron fillings?

1. Use a magnet to separate the iron filings from the mixture.

2. Move the magnet through the mixture, and the iron filings will be attracted
to the magnet and separate from the rest of the components.

How to separate chalk powder and sugar?

1. Use the concept of filtration: Filtration is a method suitable to separate

insoluble solids from liquids.

2. After dissolving the mixture in water, filtration separates the dissolved sugar
from the undissolved chalk powder.

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STEP 2: Piecing your answer together.

Answers

Step 1: Magnetic Separation for Iron Filings

1. Use a magnet to separate the iron filings from the mixture.
2. Move the magnet through the mixture, and the iron filings will be
attracted to the magnet and separate from the rest of the
components.

Step 2: Dissolving in Water for Chalk Powder

1. Dissolve the remaining mixture (chalk powder and sugar) in water.
Sugar will dissolve in water, but chalk powder will not.
2. Stir the mixture to ensure thorough dissolution of sugar.

Step 3: Filtration for Sugar

1. Add water to the mixture.
2. Pass the mixture through filter paper, which will retain the
undissolved chalk powder as residue while allowing the dissolved
sugar and water to pass through as filtrate.

Step 4: Crystallisation for Sugar

1. Pour the sugar solution into an evaporating dish and heat the mixture
till saturation.
2. Remove from the heat to cool and form sugar crystals.
3. Crystals are filtered out, and are dried on a cloth.

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Common mistakes

Wrong answers: Use evaporation till dryness to obtain sugar from sugar water.

Teachers’ comments:
Sugar is not heat stable and this means when it is subjected to high heat, it
will decompose chemically to form a different substance. Sugar decomposes at
high heat into carbon and water.

Crystallisation should be used instead.

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