Decantation
By: Mariajose Lopez, Sara Rodriguez, Santiago Quitian and Alejandro Lizcano
Introduction
To understand this lab, you must understand the following information. First, decantation is a process for the separation of mixtures of immiscible liquids or from a liquid and a solid mixture such as a suspension. Also a separating funnel is the tool used to carry out the decantation because doing it by hand is very difficult. Finally, the decantation process can only be with substances with different densities because it is used to separate immiscible liquids that have different densities. With this clear information, enjoy!
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Para comprender esta práctica de laboratorio, debe comprender la siguiente información. Primero, la decantación es un proceso para la separación de mezclas de líquidos inmiscibles o de un líquido y una mezcla sólida como una suspensión. También un embudo de decantación es la herramienta que se utiliza para realizar la decantación porque hacerlo a mano es muy difícil. Finalmente, el proceso de decantación solo puede ser con sustancias con diferentes densidades porque se utiliza para separar líquidos inmiscibles que tienen diferentes densidades. Con esta información clara, ¡disfrútalo!
Hypothesis
Which substance will end up on the bottom beaker first? Do the densities matter?
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We will think that the water will end up in the bottom beaker, becuase between oil and water, water is the densiest and heaviest substance so it will stay on the bottom of the top container, (Ampoya), and the oil on the top. This shows that the density of the susbtances is a key point in this experiment.
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Materials
- Separating funnel.
- Beaker.
- 20 ml of mineral oil.
-20 ml of water with 2. drops of food colouring.
- Small beaker.
- Mixer tube.
- Support for the separtaing funnel.
- Glass stopper.
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Procedure
First, in a small beaker add 20 ml of water with 2 drops of food colouring and with the mineral oil, then start mixing the 2 substances until they seem to be an homogenious mixture, then organize the separating funnel putting it on the support with the bigger beaker under it, then start adding the homogenious mixture carefully into the separtaing funnel, then imediatly put the glass stopper, then start rotating a bit the handle of the separating funnel carefully, then wait some minutes until the the water with the food colouring gets down completly without the mineral oil, finally, rotate the handle until it is completly closed.
Videos​​
Videos​​
Results
Conclusions
Our hypothesis was right because it was the densiest and the heaviest between both. That also proves that the density of the substances was very important in this experiment because it made the difference of which substance falled first. Also, we need to clarify that in the picture of the results some of the oil reach the bottom beaker because we closed the handle late and it doesn't have anything related to this experiment because it was a mistake and all of the oil was supposed to stayed in the separating funnel.
Roles
