Question

Name the technique to separate the following:

(a) Cream from milk

(b) Salt from water

(c) Camphor from sand

(d) Oil from water

Answer 1

a)The process of centrifugation is used in dairies to separate cream from milk. Centrifugation is a method for separating the suspended particles of a substance from a liquid in which the mixture is rotated at a high speed in a centrifuge machine.

b)We can separate Salt and Water Using Distillation. We can boil or evaporate the water and the salt will be left behind as a solid. If we want to collect the water, we can use distillation. This works because salt has a much higher boiling point than water.

c)We know that camphor is a sublime substance and sand is not a sublime substance. Thus we can separate camphor from sand by heating the mixture slowly (sublimation). Vapours of camphor should be then collected and cooled down.

d)Oil being lighter forms the top layer, while water being heavier forms the bottom layer. Oil can be separated by decantation. However, a more useful method for separating oil and water is with the separating funnel.