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Breaking up is hard to do – Separating Sand & Salt
Purpose: The purpose of this experiment is to separate a mixture of sand and salt.
Materials:
 Small beaker
 Electric balance
 Sand
 Salt
 Water
 Graduated cylinder
 Stirring rod
 Filter paper
 Flask
 Rubber policeman
 Wash bottle
 Funnel
 Bunsen burner complete with rubber tubing and a source of gas
 Hot hands
 Insulator pad
 Ring stand complete with a ring
 Wire gauze
 Striker
Pre-lab Questions:
1. Water will be useful in separating the salt and sand because salt is soluble in water, which
allows it to dissolve into a homogenous mixture, allowing for filtering of the sand.
2. Properties of sand and salt that will help separate them are that salt is water soluble, and
the sand is insoluble in water.
3. The three things that could go wrong in this experiment are:
 During the evaporation of water while using the Bunsen burner, the flask might
crack or explode – this can be avoided by not heating the flask over a prolonged
period of time, and not heating it too intensely.
 Some of the sand may be lost during the filtration – this can be avoided by
carefully filtering the mixture, and making sure that all of the sand has been
washed off from the beaker, and the rubber policeman.
 Some of the salt may be lost if the salt doesn’t dissolve completely or if some of
the salt water is spilled – this can be avoided by making sure that all of the salt
has dissolved, and by being very careful while stirring the mixture not to spill it.
Procedure:
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1. Place a small beaker on the balance. Press the rezero button to make sure to take the mass
of only the sand and salt sample and not the beaker.
2. Carefully pour the sand and salt mixture onto the beaker. Record the mass in your data
table.
3. Measure out 10mL of water using the graduated cylinder. Add the water to the beaker
and gently stir the sample with a stirring rod for several minutes. Be careful not to spill.
4. Obtain a piece of filter paper write your names near the top, on BOTH sides. Use the
balance to mass the filter paper and record this mass in the data table.
5. Obtain a clean, dry flask and use the balance to determine its mass as well. Record the
mass of the flask in the data table.
6. Prepare a filtering set-up as directed by your instructor. Slowly and carefully filter the
mixture. First pour out as much water as possible, and then use a rubber policeman to
scoop out the remaining sand. Make sure all the sand stays inside the filter paper.
7. Rinse off the rubber policeman and the beaker with as little water from the wash bottle as
possible – TOO MUCH WATER WILL SLOW DOWN THE FILTERING PROCESS!
8. When filtering is complete, carefully remove the filter paper from the funnel and place on
the indicated tray to dry overnight.
9. Set up your Bunsen burner and flask as directed by your instructor. Evaporate the water
in the flask by boiling until the contents are dry. BE CAREFUL NOT TO HEAT TOO
LONG OR TOO INTENSELY – CONTINUING TO HEAT A DRY FLASK WILL
CAUSE IT TO CRACK OR EXPLODE!
10. When all the water has been evaporated, use the hot hands to place the hot flask on an
insulator pad to cool. DO NOT PLACE HOT FLASK DIRECTLY ON THE COUNTER
– IT WILL CRACK!
11. If time allows, use the balance to mass the cooled flask and its contents. If there is not
enough time, leave a slip of paper with your names on it next to the cooling flask and the
instructor will mass it for you.
12. The instructor will also mass the dried filter paper and sand. She will distribute this data
in class on Friday, as well as on the class website.
13. BE SURE TO CLEAN UP BEFORE LEAVING!
Data Table:
Mass of dry sand and salt mixture (g)
10.59
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Mass of dry, empty flask (g)
129.87
Mass of dry filter paper (with names already
written) (g)
Mass of cool flask and contents (g)
1.02
132.05
Mass of dry sand and filter paper (g)
9.53
Qualitative Observations:
 Upon boiling the salt water, small pieces of salt were popping out of the flask
 Not all grains of the sand were collected from the beaker
Calculations:
1. Mass of dry sand and filter paper – Mass of dry filter paper = Mass of sand
9.53g – 1.02g = 8.51g
The mass of sand is 8.51g.
2. Mass of cool flask and contents – Mass of dry, empty flask = Mass of salt
132.05g – 129.87g = 2.18g
The mass of salt is 2.18g.
Mass of sand
3. Mass of sand and salt mixture x 100% = Percent of sand
8.51g
10.59g
x 100% = 80.4%
The percent of sand is 80.4%.
Mass of salt
4. Mass of sand and salt mixture x 100% = Percent of salt
2.18g
10.59g
x 100% = 20.6%
The percent of salt is 20.6%.
Post-lab Questions:
1. According to my data the sum of the percent salt and sand equals 101%. The percentages
do not equal 100% because there was an error in the experiment which resulted in an
additional 0.1g of matter.
2. The separation techniques that were practiced in this lab were filtration and evaporation.
 Filtration is effective in separating solids from liquids. During filtration a mixture
is poured through a funnel fitted with filter paper. Filter paper has tiny holes
allowing only liquid to pass through and solid particles to stay on the paper.
 Evaporation is effective in separating particles in solutions. The solution is heated
so that the solvent will evaporate, and the solid substance is left behind.
Conclusion:
The objective of the experiment was to separate a mixture of sand and salt. Through
using given materials, and following the procedure, the objective was met. The mixture can be
separated into sand and salt through filtration and evaporation. The sand can be separated from
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the mixture through filtration. In order to filter the sand from the mixture, salt must first be
dissolved in water. The mixture of salt water and sand can be then filtered through a funnel fitted
with filter paper. Filter paper only allows liquids though, allowing for the sand to stay inside it.
The salt can be separated from water through evaporation. During evaporation the solvent
evaporates, leaving solid particles behind.
The overall results from the experiment are that the 10.59 grams of the heterogeneous
mixture consisted of 8.51 grams of sand, and 2.18 grams of salt. The sand makes up 80.4% of the
mixture, while salt makes up 20.6% of the mixture. What might have affected the results were
errors. During the filtration process, not all grains of sand were collected. Also during the
evaporation process, due to intensive heat salt started popping out of the flask. Even though
matter was lost, the final mass of sand and salt is 0.1 grams heavier, than the original mass. This
is also the reason why the percentages of salt and sand do not add up to 100%. The additional
mass comes from an error in the separation processes. The water that was used to separate salt
and sand could remain in the samples either from inadequate time period for the sand to dry, or
evaporating. This could have been prevented through providing a longer amount of time for the
sand to dry, as well as for the boiling of the solution. It would also be helpful to place the
separated particles in hot oven for a period of time, to ensure that both samples are completely
dry. In conclusion it is possible to separate various substances from one another through different
techniques without changing the chemical makeup of the substance.