Question

A mixture of sulphur powder and water can be separated by _____________.

Answer 1

Hint: There are various techniques for separation of mixtures. A heterogeneous mixture can be separated by easy ways of filtration, while a homogeneous mixture requires more complex techniques. This is due to the dissolution of particles. A mixture that has insoluble particles in a solvent is easily separated by filtration.

Complete answer:
Separation is the process where the mixture of a solid in a liquid or a solid in a solid is separated through various techniques. The type of the mixture tells us what technique can be applied to separate its components.
Mixtures are of two types, heterogeneous and homogeneous. A heterogeneous mixture has particles that are not completely mixed and can be seen distinctly. While, a homogeneous mixture contains particles that are completely dissolved and cannot be distinctly identified with a naked eye.
A mixture that has sulphur powder and water is a type of heterogeneous mixture. This is because sulphur powder is insoluble in water, so it can be viewed with a naked eye floating in water.
For separating sulphur powder from water, filtration technique is used. This process can involve devices on a large scale. The mixture of sulphur powder from water can be separated using a filter paper wrapped inside a funnel then the mixture is poured. The water that is the filtrate gets collected in a beaker, while the sulphur powder gets accumulated on the filter paper.
Hence, a mixture of sulphur powder and water can be separated by filtration.

Note:
Filtration can be of various types, like filtration by gravity, or by vacuum. A homogeneous mixture can be separated by the distillation technique that uses the boiling points of solutions, or by condensation or evaporation. An example of a homogeneous mixture is salt in water. While, a heterogeneous mixture may be sand in water.