What would be the best technique to separate a soluble solid from a solution, like separating salt from a mixture of salt water?
filtration
chromatography
electrolysis
evaporation
For the example you listed it would be evaporation of the solvent. For other mixtures, it depends upon the substances.
Filtration or evaporation but the latter is more preferred
The best technique to separate a soluble solid from a solution, such as separating salt from a mixture of saltwater, would be evaporation.
Explanation:
Evaporation involves heating the solution, allowing the solvent (in this case, water) to vaporize, leaving behind the solid solute (salt) in its solid form. This method takes advantage of the difference in boiling points between the solvent and solute.
To perform evaporation and separate salt from a saltwater solution, you can follow these steps:
1. Take the saltwater solution and place it in a heat-resistant container like a beaker or a pan.
2. Apply heat to the container, either through heating on a stove or using a Bunsen burner, to raise the temperature of the solution.
3. As the solution heats up, the water component will gradually start evaporating, turning into water vapor.
4. Continue heating until all the water has evaporated, leaving behind the solid salt crystals in the container.
5. Allow the container to cool down, and you can then collect the separated salt.
It's important to note that evaporation works best for separating soluble solids from solutions where the solute does not decompose or change its properties when heated.