Separation Techniques
Separation techniques are an important part of chemistry. However, their importance is not just limited to chemistry; they are also used in our daily lives. Separation techniques are methods used to separate and/or purify mixtures. There are many kinds of separation techniques that are used in our day to day life, such as filtration, Centrifuging, Decanting, fractional distillation and sieving. Each of these methods has their own specific uses in our daily lives which make our chores much easier to carry out.
Filtration is one of the most commonly used separation technique in a household. This method uses a funnel outlined by a sieve called the filter to separate the solid “residue” from the liquid “filtrate.” Filtration is useful because both phases can be obtained in one process.[1] This method is found in various objects around a household. One example is coffee makers. Coffee makers use a filter to keep coffee powder out of water so as to get pure coffee with no solid residue present in it. Even air conditioners have filters to remove dust from clean air and thus, only pure clean air is given out. Vacuum cleaners also contain filters in order to keep the dust from scattering back out. The most common use of filters we see in the world is in cars. All cars have filters in the gas line and an air filter for the air intake for the carburetor.[2] Another separation technique is centrifuging. Centrifuging is used to separate solids from liquids. In this process, instead of having the force of gravity on the particles, there is centrifugal force acting on the particles. As a result, the solid is sedimented at the bottom of the centrifuge container. An example of this being used in our daily lives can be a washing machine. The washing machine makes use of a centrifuge in the middle to generate a high amount of speed to separate the solid impurities from the clothes and water present in the washing machine. The impurities then deposit on the bottom cleaning the
Filtration is one of the most commonly used separation technique in a household. This method uses a funnel outlined by a sieve called the filter to separate the solid “residue” from the liquid “filtrate.” Filtration is useful because both phases can be obtained in one process.[1] This method is found in various objects around a household. One example is coffee makers. Coffee makers use a filter to keep coffee powder out of water so as to get pure coffee with no solid residue present in it. Even air conditioners have filters to remove dust from clean air and thus, only pure clean air is given out. Vacuum cleaners also contain filters in order to keep the dust from scattering back out. The most common use of filters we see in the world is in cars. All cars have filters in the gas line and an air filter for the air intake for the carburetor.[2] Another separation technique is centrifuging. Centrifuging is used to separate solids from liquids. In this process, instead of having the force of gravity on the particles, there is centrifugal force acting on the particles. As a result, the solid is sedimented at the bottom of the centrifuge container. An example of this being used in our daily lives can be a washing machine. The washing machine makes use of a centrifuge in the middle to generate a high amount of speed to separate the solid impurities from the clothes and water present in the washing machine. The impurities then deposit on the bottom cleaning the
Bibliography: [pic] Harwood, Richard. "The Nature of Matter." IGCSE Chemistry. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2002. 34-40. Print. [pic] "Where Do You Use Filtration in Your Every Day Life?" WikiAnswers. Answers, n.d. Web. 22 Aug. 2012. ----------------------- [1] Harwood, Richard. "The Nature of Matter." IGCSE Chemistry. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2002. 34-40. Print [2] Where Do You Use Filtration in Your Every Day Life?" WikiAnswers. Answers, n.d. Web. 22 Aug. 2012.