Question

Centrifugation is used to separate:
(A) miscible liquids
(B) liquid and solid mixture
(C) immiscible liquids
(D) liquid gas mixture

Answer 1

Hint: Oil and water are two liquids that are immiscible. They will not mix together. Liquids tend to be immiscible when the force of attraction between the molecules of the same liquid is greater than the force of attraction between the two different liquids. Separating immiscible liquids is done simply using a separating funnel.

Complete answer:
Centrifugation is a technique used for the separation of particles from a solution according to their size, shape, density, viscosity of the medium and rotor speed. The particles are suspended in a liquid medium and placed in a centrifuge tube. A centrifuge is a laboratory device that is used for the separation of fluids, gas or liquid, based on density. Separation is achieved by spinning a vessel containing material at high speed; the centrifugal force pushes heavier materials to the outside of the vessel.
Centrifugation has been used to separate colloids from aqueous solution on the basis of particle size and density. The samples are prefiltered to remove particulate material and then placed in centrifuge tubes.
Centrifugation is used to separate immiscible liquids and solids from liquids. The separation is carried out by the application of either natural gravity or centrifugal forces.
So, the correct answer is C) immiscible liquids.

Note:
It is unsuitable for very high compression, limited pressure. They are sensitive to changes in gas composition. They work at high speed, sophisticated vibration mounting is needed. Problem of surging, stalling and choking. The maintenance costs and number of incidents of breakdown are higher than with static separators due to the moving parts.