Question

How will you separate two miscible liquids?
(A) Distillation
(B) Filtration
(C) Membrane filtration
(D) Chromatography

Answer 1

Hint: Miscible liquids can be separated on the basis of their boiling points. Homogenous liquids cannot be separated by separating funnels and also, we cannot use any type of filter for separation for liquids.

Complete answer:
Miscible liquids are those which when combined in any ratio form a homogenous solution. Liquids which have little or no mutual solubility are immiscible. Organic compounds are generally not miscible in water. Hydrocarbons such as methanol and ethanol are miscible with water but, butane and above four carbons, hydrocarbons are not miscible in water.
To know, which method should be used for separation of the two miscible liquids, we will consider each option one by one.
Distillation: Distillation refers to the selective boiling and subsequent condensation of a component in a liquid mixture. It is a separation technique that can be used to either increase the concentration of a particular component in the mixture or to obtain pure components from the mixture. The process of distillation exploits the difference in the boiling points of the components in the liquid mixture by forcing one of them into a gaseous state. Simple distillation involves heating the liquid mixture to the boiling point and immediately condensing the resulting vapors.
Filtration: Filtration is used when two immiscible solid and liquid. For filtration, filter paper is needed, through which filtrate gets separated from the filter.
Membrane filtration: it is a method of separating particles in liquid solutions or gas mixtures. This technique is used for dairy processing and wastewater treatment. The semi permeable membrane acts as a barrier which retains larger particles, while allowing smaller molecules to pass through the membrane into the permeate.
Chromatography: Chromatography is a separation technique in which purification of the fluid given by the use of stationary and mobile phase.
So, the correct answer is “Option A”.

Note: Distillation can be used to separate two miscible liquid, although the compulsory criteria is that they must have a boiling point difference of ${{20}^{\circ }}C$ to ${{25}^{\circ }}C$. If there is no much difference in boiling points, then distillation cannot be used for separation.