Sand, Salt Separation Lab

Physical Science Sand/Salt Separation ---------Instructions: You will be given approximately 10g of a sand/salt mixture. The number on the cup will correspond to the original ratio of sand to salt. (Ask the instructor after you have completed your data collection for your expected amounts.) Your goal is to develop a procedure to separate the two and determine how much sand and salt was in the original mixture. For this lab, you must complete each of the following: ---------Purpose: 1. Matter & Mixtures 2. Increase knowledge of Scientific Method. 3. Form a better understanding of how to create one’s own procedure. 4. Learn how to separate sand and salt. 5. Form ratios. --Hypothesis: 1. If sand and salt are mixed, filtered, heated, and evaporated, then they should be divided into two separate substances. --Materials: 1. Eye Protection 2. Sand/Salt Mixture 3. Beakers 4. Glass Stirring Rod 5. Coffee Filters 6. Flask 7. Heat Pad 8. Silicone Grabbers --Procedure: Caution: This lab includes sharp objects and heat. Please wear goggles. 1. Record the initial mass of the sand/salt mixture 2. Record the mass of a beaker. 3. Pour the sand/salt mixture into a beaker. 4. Add water to the beaker until it is about one-fifth full. 5. Stir the mixture gently with a glass rod for 2-3 minutes. 6. Record the mass of a single filter sheet. 7. Place a funnel and filter paper inside another beaker. 8. Pour the sand/salt mixture through the funnel and into the beaker. 9. After the mixture has been fully filtered, place the salt substance on a hot plate. 10. Turn on the hot plate and heat the mixture gently until the water is evaporated. 11. Turn off the hot plate after the water has been fully evaporated. 12. Use your silicone grabber and remove the beaker from the hot plate. 13. Let the sand and salt dry overnight. 14. Record the mass of the fully dried sand. 15. Record the mass of the fully dried salt. --- Table #1: Cup #19 Masses Dried Mass Actual Mass Percent Error Sand (g) 6.00g 3.33g 80.18% Salt (g) 9.90g 6.19g 59.93% Table #2: Cup #19 Masses In Grams Beaker 103.5g Filter Sheet 0.9g --Conclusion: 1. Describe whether or not your experimental values (end results) matched the expected. a. They did not. Our results were a lot more than the actual weights. 2. What was the percent error? (*show work/calculation) a. Calculation: (Observed-True) / True b. Sand: 80.18% c. i. (6-3.33) / 3.33 = x ii. 2.67 / 3.33 = x iii. x = 0.801 Salt: 59.93% i. (9.90-6.19) / 6.19 = x ii. 3.71 / 6.19 = x iii. x = 0.599 3. How accurate was your procedure and where specifically was an error introduced? Use data to support your evidence. a. The procedure was quite accurate. Times and measurements were included in it, but I feel we should’ve specified how long to dry the sand and salt. b. Our experiment went well - up until the final two steps. It was told to dry overnight, then record the masses of the fully dried sand/salt. The issue is that even after the items dried overnight, we believed they weren’t fully dried. 4. If you were to repeat this experiment, what changes would you make to your procedure? Be specific! a. If I repeated this experiment, I would give a specific amount of time to let the sand/salt dry. Since I have a good feeling it wasn’t; fully dry after following the instruction to “leave it to dry overnight”, I’d change overnight to 30-48 hours - just to make sure it is completely dry. I also wouldn’t add as much water - as the leftover water in the sand/salt may affect the weight of it.