Separation of Salt and Sand: Notebook

Separation of Salt and Sand
INTRODUCTION
In this laboratory experiment, you will develop and test a procedure to separate an unknown mixture of salt and sand. You will then
determine the mass percent of the salt and sand independently and analyze the your results.
In chemistry, carrying out a chemical reaction is sometimes quite simple and provides a high yield of the desired product. However,
in many of these cases, the desired product is in a mixture with unreacted starting materials, solvents, or byproducts. In order to use
the desired product formed in the reaction, you must separate it from other compounds that are present. A variety of means for
separating two or more substances in a mixture exist. A few of them are:
• Distillation: Separation of two materials based on differences in their boiling points.
• Filtration: Useful for removing large particulate matter from a liquid mixture.
• Chromatography: Separating substances based on relative polarities or affinities for a stationary phase.
In preparation for this experiment, you will need to review the following topics from the course text and lecture notes:
• Heterogeneous and homogenous mixtures.
• Chemical and physical properties.
In this laboratory, you will be given a mixture of two materials – salt (NaCl) and sand (primarily SiO2). How might you try to separate
them? Because they are two different substances that are not chemically linked, you need only exploit their differing physical
properties. You may wish to consider the following physical means of separation:
• Manual separation using tweezers.
• Solubility in a common solvent, such as water. You need to find a solvent where one substance is soluble and the other is
not.
• Distillation or evaporation of one substance, leaving the other behind.
A variety of tools, equipment, and materials in your drawer and around the laboratory are available for you to carry out this separation:
• Beakers and flasks.
• Analytical balances (for massing containers and materials).
• Crucibles and evaporating dishes (for evaporating water from the samples).
• Funnel and filter paper (to separate the insoluble substances from a mixture).
• Heat lamps/ovens (for drying samples on filter paper).
• Bunsen burners/hot plates (for evaporating solvents).
• Aluminum foil (HINT: Solids dissolved in a solution may spatter while being evaporated. If you punch small holes in a
piece of aluminum foil and cover the evaporating dish, it can contain spattering solids. Be sure to mass the aluminum foil
with the evaporating dish.
• Deionized water (from the deionized water tap).
PROCEDURE
You are responsible for the design of the procedure in this laboratory exercise. Between now and the next lab session, brainstorm
ideas for the method by which you will separate the two substances. Write out a step-by-step, detailed procedure that you will follow.
You will be given about 10 grams of sample and you need to produce a minimum of two good (consistent) trials. In general, the first
trial is often a practice trial to help you become familiar with and refine the technique. Use approximately 2.5 grams per trial. If you
make a mistake, you need to have enough sample to run an extra trial. Include in the procedure the massings that you will need to take
in order to determine the mass percents, relative ranges, and percent error. Prepare your pre-laboratory assignment following the
outline given in the handout General Laboratory Report Guidelines. You will be writing the FULL procedure for this lab in your lab
notebook.
Before beginning, prepare data tables in the Data / Observations section of your notebook for this experiment. Make four columns for
the various trials. You will then carry out the experiment and refine the procedure as needed. You need to run multiple trials (~ 2-3),
so that you may determine the reproducibility of your experimental method and results. Be sure that as you collect data, you also
record observations, and any changes to the original procedures. Write in pen. You want a permanent record of your procedures,
observations, and results.
Summarize your procedure to your instructor for approval before you begin the experiment. Show your instructor your mass % for
salt and sand before you leave the lab. The instructor will give you the actual values, so that you can calculate the % errors.
DATA ANALYSIS
You need to calculate the following results:
• Mass % of salt for each trial

• Mass % of sand for each trial
• Sum of the mass % of salt + the mass % of sand for each trial.
• Average mass % salt
• Average mass % sand
• % error for salt
• % error for sand
The following equations may be useful in the interpretation of your data:
• Mass percent = Mass of substance (salt or sand) x 100%

Mass of sample
• % Error = experimental average value - accepted value x 100%

accepted value
DISCUSSION / ERROR ANALYSIS QUESTIONS
You should answer each question directly in the discussion section in your notebook, and it must be clear in your statement what
question you are answering in the question.
1. Did you separate the salt and the sand?
2. Briefly summarize your method. (Do not rewrite the procedure you followed.)
3. What physical properties did you exploit (use) in separating these two substances?
4. Does the mass percent of salt and the mass percent of sand add up to 100%? If not, what may cause the mass to be too high or too
low?
5. What is your percent error for salt?

What is your percent error for sand?
Be sure to properly apply the percent error equation! You are finding a percent error for values that are themselves percentages
6. Explain why the % salt or % sand is too high or low. Be SPECIFIC.
Note: “Human error”, “carelessness”, or “inexperienced experimenters” are not acceptable explanations for sources of error.
Provide specifics, like “the sand was not adequately dried.”
CONCLUSIONS
Conclusions answer questions stated in the purpose of the lab. It should be written in standard prose. If an unknown is given, its
number must be given in the conclusion. For this experiment, your conclusions should include:
• A statement that salt and sand were successfully separated or were not.
• Your unknown sample #.
• The values of average % salt and average % sand.
Separation of Salt and Sand
PRE-LAB QUESTIONS Name:
1. Is the mixture of salt and sand a heterogeneous or homogeneous mixture? Explain.
2. What physical properties will you use to separate this mixture?
3. In the laboratory, Willow masses out a sample in a weigh boat with a mass of 7.62 g. With her sample in the weigh boat, the
balance reads 10.13 g.
a. What is the mass of Willow’s sample?
b. If she recovers 1.41 g of salt, what is the % salt in her sample?
c. If the actual % salt in the sample is 55.0%, what is her percent error on this trial?
Separation of Salt and Sand Name:
POST-LAB QUESTIONS
Xander records the following results. Complete the following table and answer the questions in the spaces provided. Submit this
answer sheet with you report.
Trial 1 (grams) Trial 2 (grams)

Sample 2.564 2.495
Evaporating dish 35.45 34.58
Evaporating dish + salt 36.47 35.68
Filter paper 1.324 1.335
Filter paper + sand 2.865 3.146
Mass Salt
Mass Sand
Mass salt + Mass sand
Mass % salt
Mass % sand
1. In either trial, do his results make it appear that he gained or lost mass? Explain the likely reason(s). Be specific.
2. In trial #1, does it appear Xander achieved complete separation? Explain the discrepancies in both the % salt and % sand. Be
specific.
3. In trial #2, does it appear Xander achieved complete separation? Explain the observed error.
4. The instructor tells Xander that the accepted values are 45.0 % salt and 55.0 % sand. What is the percentage error for salt and for
sand?

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Separation of Salt and Sand

You need to calculate the following results:

• Mass % of salt for each trial

The following equations may be useful in the interpretation of your data:

• Mass percent = Mass of substance (salt or sand) x 100%

• % Error = experimental average value - accepted value x 100%

DISCUSSION / ERROR ANALYSIS QUESTIONS

5. What is your percent error for salt?

PRE-LAB QUESTIONS Name:

1. Is the mixture of salt and sand a heterogeneous or homogeneous mixture? Explain.

2. What physical properties will you use to separate this mixture?

a. What is the mass of Willow’s sample?

b. If she recovers 1.41 g of salt, what is the % salt in her sample?

Trial 1 (grams) Trial 2 (grams)

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