How can you divide a mixture of iron and iron sulphide, without using a magnot?
To separate a mixture of iron and iron sulfide without using a magnet, you can utilize the difference in their properties such as their density and solubility. Here's a step-by-step procedure:
1. Crushing the Mixture: Begin by crushing the mixture of iron and iron sulfide into small particles. This helps increase the surface area for further separation steps.
2. Density-based Separation: Iron is denser than iron sulfide, so you can take advantage of this property. By using a technique called gravity separation, you can separate the components based on their density differences. Prepare a container with a water-filled tank and pour the crushed mixture into it. Due to the density difference, iron sulfide, which is lighter, will float on the water while iron, being heavier, will sink at the bottom. Carefully decant the water to separate the floating iron sulfide from the settled iron.
3. Solubility-based Separation: Another way to separate iron and iron sulfide is by their solubility in certain solvents. Iron sulfide can dissolve in diluted hydrochloric acid, while iron does not. Prepare a solution of diluted hydrochloric acid and add the remaining mixture to it. Stir it well to dissolve the iron sulfide while the iron stays undissolved. Filter the solution to separate the dissolved iron sulfide from the undissolved iron.
4. Evaporation-based Separation (optional): If the iron sulfide is too diluted in the hydrochloric acid solution, you can evaporate the acid to obtain the solid iron sulfide. Heat the solution in a controlled environment to allow the acid to evaporate, leaving behind the iron sulfide.
These methods employ differences in density and solubility to separate the iron and iron sulfide components from the mixture.