Separation of a Mixture of Solids Experiment

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Report Submitted: February 7, 2013 Title: Separation of a Mixture of Solids Purpose: To learn separation techniques based on the chemical properties of a substance Procedure: I used paper cups, the weighing scale, 50ml beaker, burner, burner stand, magnet and the Mixture of solids to separate sand, benzoic acid, salt, and iron. Data Tables: SUBSTANCE | GRAMS | PERCENT OF MIXTURE | Iron fillings | 2.5 | 2.6/4 * 100 = 62.5% | Sand | 2.4 | 2.4/4 * 100 = 60% | Table salt | 0.6 | 1.3/4 * 100 = 32.5% | Benzoic acid | 0.7 | 0.7/4 * 100 = 17.5 | Total | 7.8 | 172.5% | Questions: A. My proposed procedures compared very closely to the actually experiment. I knew that the magnet could separate the iron but the sand was going to the tricky part from the rest of the substances so I figured we would need to be heating and boiling in order to separate the benzoic acid but I really had no clue how to separate the salt from the sand. I have always wondered how sea salt was extracted from the ocean. Now I know! I had no idea the filter paper was going to filter out the salt then the salt would be left from the evaporated water. B. One advantage of my proposed procedure about how to separate the sand from the benzoid acid was a strainer which could have stopped sand particles from entering the benzoic acid or to catch any benzoic solid acid crystals from mixing in with the sand. Since the benzoic acid lifted into the top when I boiled the water, it allowed me to pour it right into the paper cup. Also the benzoic acid was popping a lot along the bottom of the beaker during the heating process so I was able to identify the benzoic acid right away. C. Defiantly benzoic acid crystals could have been left behind during the separation process. I noticed some larger crystals of solid benzoic acid rocks left behind

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