Phenol is the active ingredient in some throat sparys.

Question

It is a solid, soluble in water, and it naturally sublimes at room temperature.

 

a) What is one way you could separate phenol from salt?

 

b) What is one way you could separate phenol from sand?

Answer 1

a)Salt will not dissolve in phenol unless it is in aqueous solution. Phenol-salt solution need to be mix well and then put in centrifuge at high speed for two solutions to be separated in upper aqueous layer of salt and lower layer of phenol.  One can use pipette or pipette man to remove aqueous layer of salt solution.

 

b) Heavy sand would accumulate at the bottom of centrifuge tube after centrifugation,  one can remove top layer of phenol with pipette or pipette man to a fresh tube.

 

Hope this helps.