Essay On Filtration

Filtration – This is an experiment whereby inorganic and displacement chemical reactions take place to collect a salt and produce water through the process of filtration.

The chemicals used were a metal oxide, in this case, copper oxide and a dilute acid, sulphuric acid, aiming to separate the copper and oxygen to collect the pure copper (II) ions, which is a soluble salt. The colour should be a very characteristic blue.

Sulfuric acid is added to a beaker. A tripod and Bunsen burner is set up and the beaker is heated with the blue Bunsen burner flame until it nearly boils. Then a spatula is needed to add parts of the copper(ii) to the beaker, continuously stirring for about thirty seconds and adding the next portion, and stirring and so on until all of the copper oxide has been added. The beaker is then heated further for a couple of minutes, to ensure the copper oxide has completely reacted with the sulphuric acid.

The next stage of the experiment requires a filter funnel to be placed in the neck of the conical flask. Filter paper is to be folded into the funnel. The contents in the beaker needs to still be hot. This is swirled and slowly filtered into the funnel.

A clear blue solution should end up in the funnel. If any black powder is in the solution, filtration needs to be repeated.

The clear solution is poured into a beaker and left in a warm place for about a week to enable the water to evaporate. Crystals will begin to form as it dries, so these need to be filtered and the crystals need to be collected onto a paper towel to absorb any extra water.

(Nuffield Foundation, 2011)

(Nuffield Foundation, 2011)

Chromotography

This is a technique that is used when separating mixtures. A substance is put into a mediu...

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...ith ice water. The vacuum remains on to dry the aspirin. For it to be fully dry it may need to be left for a whole day.

Distillation

The purpose of distillation is to separate mixtures and purify liquids. A distillation experiment was carried out in the classroom to extract limonene from orange peel.

(Zamcopter, 2014)

The process of distillation starts with putting the orange into a blender. The stand and clamp are attached to the round bottom flash and the delivery tube. The now orange peel is put into the bottom of the flask along with boiling water. This needs to be refluxed for thirty minutes, which cools and captures the resulting vapours. The equipment is rearranged to the image below and the substance collected, limonene/ water distillate, is collected into the boiling tube.

(Expats, 2014)

Bromine water is added drop by drop to the distillate.