Question

Which of the following can be separated by using a separating funnel and which cannot be separated by using a separating funnel ?
(a) water and kerosene mixture
(b) water and acetone mixture
Give reasons for your answer.

Answer 1

Water and kerosene mixture can be separated by using a separating funnel because these two are immiscible liquids and differ in their densities. Kerosene is less dense than water and water comes out first from the separating funnel.
On the other hand, acetone and water mixture cannot be separated by using a separating funnel because they are miscible liquids. They are rather separated by fractional distillation.