Mixture Separation Lab

Submitted by: Owen Raymond

Partner: Mason Haze
October 9, 2015
Chemistry Period 3

Separating the Components of a Mixture

Objective: In this lab the components of a mixture are trying to be separated from one another
through the use of separation techniques. This lab also helps to gain more understanding of
physical intensive properties, mixtures, and separation techniques.

Introduction: This lab helps to gain a basic understanding of separation techniques. An

understanding of what mixtures, physical intensive properties, and separation are required for
this lab. A good understanding of this lab is important because similar processes can be used
when trying to clean oil spills, create clean water, or solve other environmental problems. A
mixture is a physical combination of substances. Air and soda are two example of mixtures.
There are two types of mixtures, heterogeneous and homogeneous. A heterogeneous mixture is a
mixture that is not uniform throughout and has visibly different components. An example of this
would be oil and water. A homogeneous mixture is a mixture that is uniform, the same,
throughout. Homogeneous mixtures are also called solutions. An example of this would be salt
and water. Physical intensive properties are a type of physical property. Unlike extensive
properties, intensive properties are not reliant on the amount of substance there is. Physical

intensive properties depend on only the identity or nature of the substance, no matter how much
there is it will always stay the same. Some examples of physical intensive properties are
malleability, boiling points, and magnetization. Separation techniques are techniques used to
separate the components of a mixture. Some of the separation techniques used include
evaporation, magnetism, and filtering. Evaporation is a method that is used when trying to
separate a solute from a solvent. During evaporation the liquid is allowed to evaporate until only
the solute is left behind. The solid gets left behind because it is not capable of evaporating.
Magnetism uses a substances magnetic properties to separate it from a mixture. Filtering is a
method that is used when trying to separate a solid from a mixture of liquids. Filtration captures
the solid and lets the liquid run and drain out. This can be done by using filter paper, which
captures solids because they are not capable of passing through the pores of the filter paper.
These terms relate because separation techniques are used to separate mixtures, and the
properties of substances that allow and cause them to be separated are intensive properties.

Materials:

Weight boats
2 pieces of filter paper
Beaker
Funnel
Erlenmeyer Flask
Premade mixture
Hotplate
Electronic balance
Magnet
Ice
Water
Goggles
Lab aprons

Procedure:

1. Mass weight boat

2. Use magnet to pick up iron fillings in mixture
3. Place fillings into weight boat
4. Mass weight boat with iron fillings
5. Add 25ml of water at 40C into beaker
6. Place mixture into beaker and add water
7. Mix mixture with heat until the salt and potassium nitrate are dissolved
8. Mass filter paper
9. Filter mixture
10. Allow sand and filter paper to dry
11. Mass filter paper and sand
12. Cool mixture down to below 20C and wait until potassium nitrate recrystallizes
13. Mass filter paper
14. Filter solution
15. Allow filter paper and potassium nitrate to dry
16. Mass filter paper
17. Mass beaker
18. Pour solution into beaker
19. Evaporate water
20. Mass beaker and salt
Data:

Mass of

Iron

Sand

Salt

Potassium

2.19g

0.87g

135.40g

Nitrate
0.84g

5.02g

8.45g

149.56g

2.00g

Container/Holde
r
(In grams)
Mass of
Container/Holde
r with Substance
(In grams)
Calculations:
Mass Calculations
Iron

Sand

Salt

5.02g 2.19g = 2.83g

8.45g 0.87g = 7.58g

149.56g 135.40g = 14.6g

Potassium Nitrate
2.00g 0.84g = 1.16g
Percent Error Calculations
Iron

Sand

2.68g 2.83g x 100 = 5.59%

2.68g

7.55g 7.58g x 100 = 0.397%

7.55g

Salt

Potassium Nitrate

9.38g 14.16g x 100 = 50.9%

9.38g

3.79g 1.16g x 100 = 69.3%

3.79

Conclusion:
Claim: The separation techniques used to separate the components of the mixture were
successful.
Evidence: In the lab the mass of the iron fillings that were obtained was 2.83g. The actual
amount that should have been there was 2.68g. This means that the percent error was 5.59%. The
mass of the sand that was obtained was 7.58g. The mass that it should have been was 7.55g. This
means that the percent error was only 0.397%. The mass of the salt that was obtained was 14.6g.
The mass that it should have been was 9.38g. This means that the percent error was 50.9%. The
mass of the potassium nitrate that was obtained was 1.16g. The mass should have been 3.79g.
This means that the percent error was 69.3%.
Reasoning: When separating the iron from the mixture the magnetic properties of the iron were
taken advantage of and magnetization was used. Filtration was used when separating the sand
from the solution. This was successful because the sand was captured in the filter paper while the

dissolved salt and potassium nitrate passed thought. Filtration was also used when separating the
potassium nitrate from the mixture. However, the potassium nitrate had to be recrystallized
before it was filtered, which may have led to an error in the lab. Evaporation was used when
separating the salt from the mixture. This was done by simply evaporating the remaining water,
and then measuring the salt that was left behind. The salt was left behind because it has a higher
mass than water and is not capable of evaporating. The separation techniques are known to have
been successful because both the iron fillings and the sand were within a 10% error range. This
means that they were accurate and were precise with the true amounts. The separation techniques
worked even though the salt and potassium nitrate percent errors were not within 10% because
there was probably an error in the recrystallization process for the potassium nitrate. Not all of
the potassium nitrate recrystallized and was able to be filtered out, thus leaving the salt mass to
be too high, and the potassium nitrate mass to be too small.
Rebuttal: Some say that the separation techniques did not work. This may be because there was
an error in the lab. There may have been some other materials mixed in with the iron. All of the
sand may not have been captured by the filter paper. The recrystallization process for the
potassium nitrate may have had an error or may not have been completed. Any of these factors
would cause the percent errors to be higher and some to think that the separation techniques were
invalid. Even, though the salt and potassium nitrate may have been off of their true amounts, it is
not the separation techniques that caused this to happen. The recrystallization process is what
would have caused the amounts to be off, not the separation techniques.

Reflection: In this lab there may have been error during the recrystallization process of the
potassium nitrate. The potassium nitrate may not have been completely recrystallized or may

have dissolved in the water when it was being filtered. Both of these situations would then cause
the mass of the obtained salt to increase and the mass of the obtained potassium nitrate to
decrease and then cause the percent errors to increase.