Name: ( ) Class: Date:

St Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School

Class Test 2
Chapter 1: Experimental Chemistry
25
1.3 How are Substances in Mixtures Separated?
1.4 How Can the Purity of Substances Be Determined?

1. The table shows some information about the solubilities of three solids.

solid solubility in water solubility in ethanol

X insoluble soluble
Y soluble insoluble
Z insoluble insoluble

The following steps could be carried out to obtain pure Y from a mixture of X, Y and Z.

1. filter
2. evaporate filtrate to dryness
3. add ethanol
4. add water

In what order should the steps be carried out?

A 1, 2, 3, 4
B 3, 1, 2 (omit step 4)
C 3, 4 (omit step 1 and 2)
D 4, 1, 2 (omit step 3) ( )
D

2. The filter tip of a cigarette acts as both a condenser and a filter.

Which of the following substances cannot be removed by the filter tip?
substance boiling point/°C
A nicotine 248
B tar between 350–400
C carbon monoxide −192
D water 100
( C )
3. Distillation involves

A condensation, then evaporation

B evaporation, then condensation
C filtration, then evaporation
D filtration, then condensation ( B )
1
4. The diagram below shows the fractional distillation of two liquids R and S. R has a boiling
point of 80C and S has a boiling point of 110 C.

Which of the following statements is incorrect?

A The liquid left in the flask contains more S than R.

B The temperature at point X is higher than the temperature at point Y.
C The temperature remains constant when liquid R is distilling over.
D The vapour at point X contains more R than S. ( B )

5. When heated steadily, an impure solid S starts melting at 131oC and becomes completely
molten at 136oC. The melting points of four pure solids are given below.

Which one could apply to S?

A 130oC B 131oC C 135oC D 137oC ( D )

6. The solid surface of the Europa, a moon of Jupiter, is believed to consist of ice.

Which test could be used to show that a sample of this ice is pure?

A Melt it and show that it all becomes liquid.

B Heat it and show that it leaves no residue when it is evaporated.
C Show that the solid is colourless.
D Show that it melts at exactly 0oC. ( D )

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Section B
1. Camphor is a white solid used in some skin ointments. A sample of camphor was found
to be contaminated with charcoal (carbon), iron and rust. The effect of three liquids on
these substances is shown in the table.

Liquid

Substance Water Ethanol Dilute sulfuric acid

Dissolves to
Camphor No effect produce a No effect
colourless solution
Carbon No effect No effect No effect

Reacts to give a green

Iron No effect No effect solution and a
colourless gas
Iron(III) No effect No effect Reacts to give a brown
oxide solution

Describe how you would obtain pure and dry camphor from the impure
sample of camphor.
1. Add ethanol and stir.
………………………………………..……………………………………..………..
2. Filter the mixture to remove carbon, iron and iron (III) oxide as the residue.
…………………………………………..…………………………………..………..
3. The filtrate contains camphor dissolved in ethanol.
………………………………………..……………………………………..………..
4. Evaporate the filtrate to dryness using a water bath.
………………………………………..……………………………………..………..
5. The solid left behind is camphor.
………………………………………..……………………………………..………..

………………………………………..……………………………………..………..

…………………………………………..…………………………………..………..

…………………………………………..………………………………..………..[4]

Note:
1. Do not confuse this question with gas collection and drying methods as the mixtures are all solids and
room temperature.
2. Do not that the drying agent used in Chapter 1.2 is concentrated sulfuric acid and not dilute sulfuric acid

3
2. Paper chromatography can be carried out in two different ways. In the descending
method, solvent flows down the paper as shown in diagram 1. In the ascending method,
solvent travels up the paper as shown in diagram 2.

Diagram 1 Diagram 2

An ink sample was analysed using the two different methods. The type of solvent and
duration of the experiment was kept constant. The results obtained are shown in the
following diagram. A complete separation of the ink is shown in chromatogram X. Only
the solvent front is shown in chromatogram Y.

Distance for blue dye = 2.5/8 x 6

= 1.88

Distance for yellow dye = 5/8 x 6

= 3.75

(a) Explain why the starting line is drawn with a pencil, and not ink?
Pencil is made of carbon which is insoluble in the solvent and will not interfere with the chromatogram.
………………………………………….…..………………….……………………………
Ink contains a mixture of dyes which could be soluble in the solvent and interfere with the
…………………………………….………………………………………………………[1]
chromatogram.
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(b) Suggest the colour of the ink that was used.

……………………………….……………………………………………………………[1]
Green

(c) Which chromatogram, X or Y, is obtained using the descending method. Explain

your answer.
X. The solvent front is further from the starting line.
……………………….………….……………………………………………………………

…………………………………………….………………………………………………[1]

(d) Calculate the Rf values of the blue and yellow dyes in chromatogram X.

Rf value of blue dye = 2.5/8 = 0.31 (2 d.p)

Rf value of yellow dye = 5/8 = 0.63 (2 d.p

[2]

(e) Draw on the diagram to show the position of the blue and yellow dyes in
chromatogram Y. [2]

(f) Discuss which method is better to be used in separating the different dyes in the
ink? Explain your answer.
Advantage of descending chromatography is it is faster due to gravity assisted flow.
………………………………………………………..….…………………………………
Advantage of ascending chromatography as it is a simpler set-up and does not require having additional
……………………………………………………...……………..………………………[2]
reservoirs on top.

(g) Sometimes it is necessary to spray the chromatogram with a locating agent.

What is the purpose of doing this?
To make the colourless spot visible.
………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………..……………………………..……………[1]

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3. Fractional distillation is used to separate a mixture of two or more miscible liquids. The
diagram shows the apparatus used to separate ethanol (boiling point 78 oC) from water
(boiling point 100oC) in an ethanol-water mixture.

thermometer

water out
fractionating
column

water in

ethanol-water
mixture

(a) What is the function of the fractionating column?

To ensure separation of different liquids more efficiently. /
………………………………………………………………………………..………..
To provide better separation through repeated evaporation and condensation on the glass beads.
………………………………………………………………………..……………..[1]

(b) Which substance(s) is/are contained in the first drop of distillate?

Explain your answer.
Ethanol as it has a lower boiling point than water.
………………………………………………………………………………..………..

………………………………………………………………………..……………..[1]

(c) Sketch a graph of temperature against time to illustrate how the temperature
recorded by the thermometer changes as the ethanol-water mixture is
fractionally distilled.

[2]

(d) Give an example of an industrial application of fractional distillation.

Separation of liquid air / Separation of crude oil / Separation of ethanol from fermented solution
………………………………………………………………………………………..[1]