Separation of a Mixture of Solids

Purpose The purpose of this experiment is to separate a mixture of solids. Also, to learn separation techniques based on the chemical properties of a substance. In this experiment, a mixture of four substances will be separated: sodium chloride, benzoic acid, silicon dioxide, and iron. Procedure 1. Separating out the Iron a. Use the digital scale to determine the mass of the weighing dish. b. Empty the mixture of solids into the weighing dish and determine the gross mass. Calculate the net mass of the mixture. c. Spread the mixture into a thin layer over an entire sheet of paper. d. Cut a second piece of paper into a 10 cm square. Weight and record its mass. e. Wrap a small square of clear plastic over the magnet. Remove the iron filings by passing the magnet closely over the mixture. Repeat several times. f. Holding the magnet over the square paper, remove the plastic wrap and allow the iron to fall. Weigh and determine the net mass of the iron. 2. Separating out the Sand a. Put the remaining mixture into the beaker and add 50mL of distilled water. b. Set up the breaker stand and burner fuel. Heat the beaker and solids to near boiling. Stir the mixture to dissolve soluble content. Benzoic acid and

the sodium chloride should have been dissolved and separated from the sand. c. Pour the liquid while its hot into a small paper cup. d. Pour another 10 to 15mL of distilled water into the beaker and bring mixture to a boil. Pour the liquid into the same cup. This assures the remaining salt and benzoic acid is removed from the sand. e. Make an ice bath by placing a small amount of crushed ice and water into a cup. f. Place the cup containing the benzoic acid and salt into the ice bath. Observe the benzoic crystallizing out of the solution as it cools. g. Dump the sand out of the beaker and allow it to air dry. This may take hours. h. When the sand is completely dry, weigh and determine the net mass. 3. Separating out of the Benzoic Acid a. The benzoic acid crystals formed can be separated out by filtration. i. Weigh a paper cup and record the mass. ii. Set the paper cup inside a slightly later cup for support when the funnel is added. iii. Fold the filter paper and create a funnel according to the photograph. iv. Place the filter paper into the funnel and the funnel into the supported paper cup.

b. Remove the paper cup of salt and benzoic acid crystals from the ice bath> Fill a graduated cylinder with 5mL of distilled water and place the cylinder into the ice bath to chill the water. c. Swirl the cup containing the salt and crystals to dislodge any crystals. Pour the contents of the cup into the funnel. d. After the sodium chloride solution has completely drained through the funnel, slowly pour the 5mL of water around the funnel to remove the remaining sodium chloride. e. After all the liquid has drained, lay the filter paper containing the crystals on folded layers of paper towels and allow to dry. f. When the filter paper and crystals are completely dry, determine the net mass of the benzoic acid crystals. 4. Separating out the Salt a. Set the paper cup of sodium chloride solution in place to dry. This might take several days. When the water has completely evaporated, only sodium chloride will be left. b. Determine the net mass of the sodium chloride.

Data/Observations

Data Table 1: Experiment Data

Grams Iron filings Sand Table salt
1.8 1.3 1.8

Percent of mixture
30% 20% 30%

Benzoic acid Total

1.2 6.1

20% 100%

Questions A. How did your proposed procedures or flow charts at the beginning of this experiment compare to the actual Procedures of this lab exercise? My flow chart at the beginning of the experiment was pretty similar to the actual procedures of the lab. Similar to the procedures, I figured that the sand would be separated out last, since the sand is not soluble. B. Discuss potential advantages or disadvantages of your proposed procedure compared to the one actually used. Based on the materials, I knew the magnet would be used to remove the iron filings. I figured this should be done first before the mixture is submerged in water. I could not figure out how to separate the benzoic acid. I knew that the temperature of solubility of the two substances were different. This made it easier to understand the actual procedures used in the experiment.

C. How would you explain a sand recovery percentage that is higher than the original sand percentage? A sand recovery percentage that is higher than the original sand percentage could be due to all of the soluble contents not being removed during the experiment. The sodium chloride and benzoic acid could not have all been dissolved or weighed properly.

D. What were potential sources of error in this experiment?

There could have been many sources of error in this experiment. The amount of water used could have affected the amount of sodium chloride or benzoic acid.

Conclusion Before the experiment began, I created a flow chart to predict the sequences of separation of the mixture. In the experiment, I separated the mixture into pure substances. The four substances contained in the mixture were sodium chloride, benzoic acid, silicon dioxide, and iron filings. The separation was achieved by utilizing the solubility properties of each material.