Page 53 - Big Ideas Year 9 sciPAD 2025

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SCIPAD - BIG IDEAS - BOOK 1
THE NATURE OF MIXTURES
Copper
compounds
are poisonous
Separating a Mixture using Evaporation
Aim: To separate a solute from a solvent in a solution using evaporation.
Equipment: Copper sulfate solution, 250 mL beaker, heatproof mat, an evaporating basin,
Bunsen burner, tripod, gauze mat.
Method: 1. Set up the Bunsen burner, tripod and gauze mat. Don’t place the Bunsen burner
under the tripod yet.
2. Add approximately 50 mL of hot water to your beaker and place it on top of the
gauze mat.
3. Add enough copper sulfate solution to quarter fill the evaporating basin.
4. Carefully place the evaporating basin on top of the beaker.
5. Light your Bunsen burner. Open the air hole and gently push the Bunsen burner
under the tripod.
6. Heat the solution until most of the solvent has been evaporated and crystals of
solute are forming.
7. Turn off your Bunsen burner.
Observations: 


1. Outline two factors that affect the speed of evaporation (i.e. how can the speed of
evaporation be increased?).
(a) 
(b) 
Evaporating basin
containing the solution
Beaker of water
Tripod and gauze mat
Bunsen flame
The solvent evaporates.
The water in the beaker
begins to boil.
Steam from boiling water gently
heats the evaporating basin.
The solute begins to form
crystals as the solvent
evaporates.
2
1
4
3
Separating Solutions
Although a solution is a mixture, the solute cannot be separated from the solvent by filtration
because the solute particles are too small and will simply pass through the filter paper. However,
evaporation can be used to separate the solute from the solvent.
Evaporation - Separating a Solid Dissolved in a Liquid
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