How To Separate Salt From Sugar: 13 Steps

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How To Separate Salt From Sugar: 13 Steps
How To Separate Salt From Sugar: 13 Steps
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To separate the salt from the sand or sugar you will have to try your hand at chemistry. Both salt and sugar dissolve in water, so you won't be able to use it to separate them. However, you can do this using an alcohol solution.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Prepare the Experiment

Separate Salt and Sugar Step 1
Separate Salt and Sugar Step 1

Step 1. Ask an adult to get pure alcohol, such as ethanol

It is a toxic and flammable substance, so it must be used with extreme caution and always having a fire extinguisher on hand.

Separate Salt and Sugar Step 2
Separate Salt and Sugar Step 2

Step 2. Let the water evaporate if the salt and sugar are mixed in an aqueous solution

You can speed up the process by using the water bath technique which you will also use later in this experiment.

Separate Salt and Sugar Step 3
Separate Salt and Sugar Step 3

Step 3. Find a heat source

A Bunsen burner is perfect, but since you will use the water bath technique you can also use a simple stove, as long as the room in which you are experimenting is well ventilated.

Part 2 of 3: Separating the Salt

Separate Salt and Sugar Step 4
Separate Salt and Sugar Step 4

Step 1. Pour the salt and sugar mixture into a glass beaker or glass measuring cup

Separate Salt and Sugar Step 5
Separate Salt and Sugar Step 5

Step 2. Add 250ml of ethanol

The greater the amount of salt and sugar, the greater the amount of ethanol to use. There must be enough alcohol to dissolve the sugar without being oversaturated.

Consider separating the two compounds in various containers if you have a large amount of mixture. Ethanol is flammable and using too much of it will increase the risk of fire

Separate Salt and Sugar Step 6
Separate Salt and Sugar Step 6

Step 3. Stir the solution with a spoon or stick to dissolve the sugar

When it has dissolved, the salt should be deposited at the bottom of the beaker.

Separate Salt and Sugar Step 7
Separate Salt and Sugar Step 7

Step 4. Place a very fine-grained colander on another glass beaker or measuring cup

If you don't have a fine-grained colander, cover a regular colander with cheesecloth.

Separate Salt and Sugar Step 8
Separate Salt and Sugar Step 8

Step 5. Pour the alcohol solution into the new container by passing it through the colander

All the salt particles will have to remain in it. Let the colander dry and pour the salt into a new container.

Part 3 of 3: Reheat the Sugar

Separate Salt and Sugar Step 9
Separate Salt and Sugar Step 9

Step 1. Create a steam bath

Place a small saucepan one quarter filled with water over your heat source. Make sure you can place a glass bowl directly inside the saucepan.

The steam bath is similar to cooking in a double boiler used in the kitchen

Separate Salt and Sugar Step 10
Separate Salt and Sugar Step 10

Step 2. Place the sugar and ethanol mixture in the bowl inside the saucepan

Turn on a fan or extractor fan and wear a face mask to avoid breathing in the fumes of alcohol.

Separate Salt and Sugar Step 11
Separate Salt and Sugar Step 11

Step 3. Heat the water over medium heat

The steam bath is used to slowly heat the solution. In fact, due to the volatility of alcohol, other methods could cause a spark and cause it to ignite.

Separate Salt and Sugar Step 12
Separate Salt and Sugar Step 12

Step 4. Stay away from the vapor that forms over the bowl of sugar and alcohol as it distills

Separate Salt and Sugar Step 13
Separate Salt and Sugar Step 13

Step 5. Continue until all the alcohol has evaporated

The sugar will remain in the bowl. Pour it into a new container.

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