Year 9 · Science

Separating mixtures in Year 9 Science

6 checked activities 4 video matches

Start here

Focus on separating mixtures distillation and chromatography. Start with “Explain Fractional Distillation”, then explain the idea in your own words.

Understand the key idea

The right separation method depends on the property that differs between the substances. Filtration separates an insoluble solid from a liquid by particle size. Crystallisation and simple distillation both use boiling point, but distillation keeps the solvent. Fractional distillation separates liquids with different boiling points, and chromatography separates by how strongly substances are attracted to the paper compared with the solvent.

Common mix-up

Filtration cannot separate a dissolved solid from its solution. A dissolved solid passes straight through the filter paper because it has broken into particles far smaller than the pores.

Try this first

Match each mixture to the method that would separate it, and say which property you used.
Explain why salt cannot be filtered out of salt water.
Justify using fractional rather than simple distillation for two liquids.

Ask: Salt water goes straight through filter paper — so how would you get the salt back?

Year 9 learners practise separating mixtures distillation and chromatography.

The activities include Explain Fractional Distillation, Learn About Chromatography, Learn About Crystallisation, and related practice. The checked support below includes video, worksheet, teaching, lesson. Open a resource in its provider's website and choose the format that best helps the learner explain the idea independently.

Activities covered

Explain Fractional Distillation
Learn About Chromatography
Learn About Crystallisation
Learn About the Process of Crystallisation
Revise Different Methods of Separating Mixtures
Understand Fractional Distillation

Learning path

These same-subject links were reviewed as the foundations for this topic and the learning it directly unlocks.

Learn this first

Year 8Mixtures Including Dissolving
Defines solutions and mixtures before a method is selected to separate their components.
Year 8Separating Mixtures
Introduces filtration, evaporation, distillation and chromatography before Year 9 method justification.

Where this leads next

Year 10 / GCSEChemistry: Chemical Analysis
GCSE chemical analysis extends chromatography and purity testing from these separation methods.

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