Separation of a Mixture of Solids

Separation of a Mixture of Solids

My Flow Chart

First remove iron filings with magnet since this is the only substance in the mixture that it is magnetic and will be attracted to a magnet.

Second remove the sand by adding the mixture to hot water, which the other two substances are soluble.

Third remove the benzoic acid since this is less soluble in cold than salt by cooling the mixture in the heated water.

This will then leave the table salt behind in the water as the last substance.

Observations

Data Table 1: Experiment Data

Grams (g) Percent of Mixture (%)

Initial Mixture 6.5 100

Iron Filings 1.8 27.69

Sand 1.7 26.15

Table Salt 1.9 29.23

Benzoic Acid 0.8 12.31

Combined Total 6.2 95.38

Questions

A. How did your proposed procedures or flow charts at the beginning of this experiment compare to the actual procedures of this lab exercise?

My proposed flow chart was very close to that of the actual lab exercise. The only step that I did not include was letting the water evaporate to find isolate the table salt. I suppose I was thinking that it would be estimated by process of elimination. However, I can now that this would not accurately show that true weight and is therefore not scientific.

B. Discuss potential advantages or disadvantages of your proposed procedure compared to the one actually