Separating Mixtures

Pressure: a push or squeeze on an object

Dissolved: describes a substance that has mixed completely with a liquid so that it is no longer visible. Dissolving requires the substance to separate into very small particles

Solution: a mixture of a solute dissolved in a solvent. Solutions are transparent but may be coloured.

Solute: a substance that is dissolved in a solvent to form a solution

Solvent: a substance in which a solute dissolves to form a solution

Aqueous solutions: solutions in which water is the solvent

Soluble: describes a substance that will dissolve in a liquid

Insoluble: describes a substance that will not dissolve in a liquid

Chemical reaction: a chemical change in which one or more new chemical substances is produced

Concentrated: describes a solution containing a large amount of solute

Saturated: unable to dissolve any more solute

Dilution: the process of adding more solvent to a solution to make it less concentrated

Suspension: a mixture of a gas or liquid and an insoluble substance. The insoluble substance settles to the bottom when the mixture is left to stand

Filtration: the process of separating suspended particles from fluid through a filter

Sediment: Remaining solids at the bottom of the liquid

Colloid: A cloudy mixture neither a solution nor a suspension

Filtrate: liquid that has passed through a filter; that is, a porous material through which fluid can pass while suspended particles are retained

Residue: the material remaining as a solid on a filter paper after a liquid passes through in the filtration procedure

Emulsion: a colloid with droplets of one liquid spread evenly through another

Decanting: pouring liquid off the top when sediment has settled to the bottom of the container

Sieving: separating particles of different sizes by allowing the smaller particles to fall through holes in a container

Separating funnel: a pear-shaped glass container, with a tap at its base, used to separate two liquids that do not mix. Opening the tap removes the bottom liquid and the liquid floating on top is left in the funnel

Centrifuging: separating a mixture by rotating the container quickly. The heavier parts of the mixture move to the outside of the spinning container

Distillation: a separation technique that uses evaporation to separate substances. The mixture is heated so that one substance evaporates. The vapour is collected and condenses into a liquid