Choosing a method of separation

You’ll have to choose the best separation technique when you’re asked to separate the components of a mixture. This table can help:

Mixture	Separating technique	Example
Insoluble solid and liquid	Filtration	Sand and water
Soluble solid and liquid (solution)	Crystalisation (by evaporation)	Salt water (sodium chloride solution)
Two miscible liquids	Distillation	Ethanol and water
Soluble solids dissolved in a solvent	Paper chromatography	Food colourings, dyes and inks

Mixture	Soluble solid and liquid (solution)
Separating technique	Crystalisation (by evaporation)
Example	Salt water (sodium chloride solution)

Mixture	Soluble solids dissolved in a solvent
Separating technique	Paper chromatography
Example	Food colourings, dyes and inks

Chemical analysis - (CCEA) Choosing a method of separation