Separating Mixtures

By: Isabel Banal

Normally you can separate most of the mixtures in the world. Separating mixtures is separating
solids, liquids , and gases. There are different types and ways of separating mixtures like sieving,
filtiration, decanting and much more.
Sieving is a form of separating solids. You use a tool that has a platform with holes in it called a
sieve. First, you need to have two solids where one has to be bigger than the other. To separate
them, you have to pour these two solids in the sieve. As these mixtures are poured on the seive, you
will see that the smaller solid will go through the tool and the bigger solid will stay on top of the sieve.
Filtration and decanting are also ways of separating solids from liquids. Filtiration is used with
a funnel and filtration paper. First, you mix a solid with a liquid and pour it through the funnel. Bellow
the funnel is the filtration paper. The liquid will go through the filtration paper while the solids stay on
top of the filtration paper. Decanting is easy but you have to do it carefully. You have to mix the solids
with liquids and try your best to pour the liquid out leaving the solid in the bottle.
You can also separate miscible liquids, immiscible liquids, and solids with different solubilities.
One example of separating miscible liquids is by having alcohol and water as a mixture. Both are
miscible liquids that have different boiling points so you boil both liquids together then they will
separate by the alcohol evaporating first. You can separate immiscible liquids like a mixture of oil and
water by using a separating funnel and pouring the mixture in it where the water will be drained out
and the oil gets left behind, You separate solids with different solubilities like in a mixture of salt and
sand by pouring water in the salt and sand mixture. Then you use the filtration process to separate
the sand from the water and salt mixture. After that, boil the water and salt mixture where the water
will separate from the salt through evaporation.
Another type of strategy to separate mixtures is by recovering dissolved solids. First, you need
salt and water. You see that salt does not sink to the bottom and dosen't disolve in the water. Next,
boil the mixture. After that, do the filteration process with the mixture. After that you will turn out with
salt separated from the water.
So far you have a lot of ways to separate mixtures. You can use sieving, filteration, decanting,
boiling but this depends on the kind of mixture that you need to separate.