What separation technique would be most appropriate for an ionic compound dissolved in water?
A Distillation
B Filtration
C Centrifugation
D Precipitation
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is A) Distillation.
Explanation:
When an ionic compound is dissolved in water, it dissociates into its constituent ions. The best separation technique in this case depends on the nature of the mixture and what you are trying to separate.
- Distillation: This is the most appropriate method for separating an ionic compound dissolved in water. Distillation works based on differences in boiling points. Water has a lower boiling point compared to most ionic compounds. By heating the solution, water can be evaporated, leaving the dissolved ionic compound behind as residue. The water vapor can then be condensed back into liquid form, effectively separating the water from the ionic compound. This method is especially useful when the goal is to recover the water or separate it from the ionic compound without altering the compound itself.
- Filtration: This method is used to separate solid particles from liquids or gases. It would not be effective in this case because ionic compounds dissolved in water exist as ions (not as solid particles), so filtration would not remove them from the solution.
- Centrifugation: This technique involves using centrifugal force to separate components of a mixture based on their densities. It is typically used to separate solid particles from liquids or to separate immiscible liquids. Centrifugation would not be effective for separating ionic compounds dissolved in water, as the ions are evenly distributed in the solution and would not separate by density.
- Precipitation: Precipitation occurs when a solute forms a solid from a solution due to changes in conditions (such as the addition of a reagent that reacts with the ions). While precipitation can sometimes be used to remove ions from solution, it would not be the primary method for separating the water and ionic compound. Precipitation would only work if a specific ion in the solution reacts to form a solid.
Thus, distillation is the most effective separation technique in this scenario.