What method of separation would you use for the following mixtures:

acetone and water
aluminum powder and ethyl alcohol.

these were questions asked after a chapter of reading in my chem book. the separation techniques listed in the reading are filtration, distillation, and chromatography (specifically gas-liquid chromatography). I've tried to do a little research on the substances, and it doesn't seem like an acetone water mixture would be separated in any of the ways listed. i'm not sure if the aluminum powder would be soluble in ethyl alcohol. could someone direct me towards possible separation methods, and if they're not the ones listed, give a brief description?

acetone and water...evaporation (distillation). Or centrifuge. The actone has a very low vapor pressure, and wont mix with water.

aluminum powder and ethanol.

Filter through filter paper.

thank you. i wasn't sure about the second one because i didn't know if it would dissolve or not.

If aluminum dissolved, many structures would be in jeopardy in the rain, including my window screens.

how would you separate a mixture of aluminom powder and ethyl alcohol into its different components

You're welcome! It's always good to double-check when it comes to chemical reactions and solubility. In this case, aluminum powder is not soluble in ethanol, so filtering it through filter paper should separate the two substances effectively. This method allows the solid aluminum powder to be retained on the filter paper while the ethanol passes through.

You're welcome! I understand your concern. Aluminum is not soluble in ethanol, so it would not dissolve in this case. Filtering the mixture through filter paper would be an appropriate method of separation to remove the solid aluminum powder from the liquid ethanol.