You are provided with a mixture containing sand, iron filings, ammonium chloride and sodium chloride. Describe the procedures you would use to separate these constituents from the mixture?
Components of given mixture can be separated by following methods:
(i) By using a magnet: Hovering a magnet over the mixture will result in iron fillings getting stuck to the magnet. Thus, iron will be separated.
(ii) Sublimation: The remaining mixture is heated in a china dish. Ammonium chloride is a sublime and hence it will evaporate without undergoing the liquid phase. Crust of ammonium chloride can be collected by placing and inverted funnel on top of china dish.
(iii) Sedimentation, decantation and filtration: The remaining mixture is dissolved in water. The mixture is allowed to settle for some time. Sand, being insoluble in water, settles at the bottom. Liquid is decanted in another beaker. Then, the liquid is filtered to remove any trace of sand in it.
(iv) Evaporation: The liquid is now a solution of salt in water. This is heated in a beaker so that water evaporated. Once all the water evaporates, we get salt in the beaker.
