Suppose you were given a sample of iodine crystals, a sample of antimony, and a sample of a...

Question:

Suppose you were given a sample of iodine crystals, a sample of antimony, and a sample of a mixture of iodine and antimony that had been ground together to form a fine powder of uniform consistency. Look up the physical and chemical properties of both iodine and antimony. Then list the properties of each element that you believe would be useful in separating and recovering them from the mixture. On the basis of these properties, devise a procedure to separate the two elements from the mixture and recover the separate elements.

Chemical Mixtures:

A mixture is a combination of different materials. They can take two forms - homogeneous mixtures, like solutions, where the product has an even consistency, or heterogeneous mixtures, which have uneven consistency (like a colloid). Separating mixtures is easy for heterogeneous mixtures, but can get very difficult for homogeneous ones.

Answer and Explanation: 1

Iodine and antimony are very different materials. The easiest way to separate them from one another would be to evaporate the iodine. Iodine is a solid at room temperature, but has an appreciable vapor pressure. Solid iodine crystals are known to sublime at room temperature into a violet vapor (which you shouldn't breathe). Antimony on the other hand is a hard crystalline material at room temperature and exerts no appreciable vapor pressure. Just by leaving the powder mixture alone in a sufficiently large container, the iodine would all vaporize away. You can heat the sample to speed the process.


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Mixture in Chemistry: Definition & Examples

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Chapter 6 / Lesson 3
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What is a mixture in chemistry? Learn the types and properties of mixtures. Also, see various examples of mixtures.


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