Filtration, Distillation and Chromatography

Mixtures can be separated without chemical reactions.

Filtration

Filtration separates an insoluble solid from a liquid. Filter paper traps the solid (residue) while the liquid (filtrate) passes through. Example: sand from water.

Distillation

Simple distillation separates a solvent from a dissolved solid by evaporating and condensing the solvent. Fractional distillation separates liquids with different boiling points, such as crude oil.

Chromatography

Chromatography separates dissolved substances by how far they travel up a paper with a solvent. It is used to test food colourings and analyse inks.

Practice

1. Name the residue and filtrate when muddy water is filtered.
2. Explain why simple distillation can recover both water and dissolved salt.
3. Describe how you would test whether two pens use the same ink.

Recap

Choose the method based on the mixture: filtration for insoluble solids, distillation for solvents, chromatography for dissolved colours.