Question

Solid-solid mixtures are separated by:
[A] Filtration
[B] Distillation
[C] Sublimation
[D] None of these

Answer 1

Hint: Mixture of two solids is a solid-solid mixture. We can separate such mixtures by using the difference in solubility of the solids. We can also separate them if one undergoes a certain phase transfer and the other doesn’t.

Complete step by step answer:
To answer this question, let us discuss the separation method mentioned to us in the options.
In the first option we have filtration. It is a process by which we can separate a mixture of solid and liquids by passing the solution from a porous medium, generally a filter paper. The liquid that we obtain is known as the filtrate and the porous medium is called the filter. However, we can use a filtration method to separate a mixture of two solids if the solids are of different sizes.
In the second option we have distillation. It is a process of separating certain components or substances from a solution thus purifying it by using selective boiling and condensation. Mixtures of liquids having different boiling points can be separated through distillation. It is also used to separate liquids from non-volatile solids.
In the third option we have sublimation. It is a phase transition where the element turns into a gas phase directly from the solid phase without actually passing through the liquid state. If we have a mixture of two elements among which one sublimes and one does not, we can separate the two by the process of sublimation. We can use this too for separation of two solids.
We can understand from the above discussion that we can use the method of filtration and sublimation for the separation of a solid-solid mixture.
So, the correct answer is “Option A and C”.

Note: We should remember that for the filtration process, the solute should not be dissolved in solvent. However, if we have a mixture of salt and sand and if we use water as solvent, salt is soluble in it whereas sand is not so we can use the method of filtration only for solids having difference in solubility.
Sublimation is used only if one of the solid sublimes. Like we can separate a mixture of camphor and sugar, camphor sublimes and sugar does not so this way we can separate the mixture.
Other than this, we can also use a magnet for separation of two solid mixtures if one of the solids is magnetic. For example, we can separate a mixture of sand and iron filings by the help of a magnet. Iron filings are attracted to the magnet whereas sand is not.