Question

Which separation technique will you apply for the separation of the following mixture?

oil from water

Answer 1

The separation technique applied for the separation of oil from water is the use of a separating funnel.

Separating funnel: It is an apparatus in which two immiscible liquids (for example oil and water here) can be separated with the help of a stopcock fitted on the stem of the funnel.

Immiscible liquids: A mixture of two or more liquids that do not mix with each other and are present in the form of separate layers instead of one. Example: kerosene oil in water, vegetable oil in water.

Principle involved in the separation of mixture:

• Two immiscible liquids have different densities due to which they are present in the form of two different layers which can be separated by separating funnel by allowing only one layer to pass through the stem of the funnel using a stopcock.