Decanting Transitional Reasoning Practice

Questions

1. 1.

   A science student prepares four distinct two-component mixtures in identical glass beakers to evaluate physical separation methods: Mixture W contains sodium chloride completely dissolved in water; Mixture X consists of two miscible liquids, acetone and water; Mixture Y is a stable emulsion of microscopic oil droplets suspended in water; and Mixture Z contains coarse, insoluble silicon dioxide granules stirred into water. After allowing all four beakers to stand undisturbed on a bench for fifteen minutes, the student attempts to isolate the liquid from the remaining component using only gravity and careful pouring. Which mixture can be successfully separated using this decantation procedure, and why?

   • A) Mixture W, because the dissolved solute spontaneously precipitates to the bottom when the solution remains stationary, leaving pure solvent on top.
   • B) Mixture X, because miscible liquids naturally segregate into distinct layers over time due to differences in their vapor pressures.
   • C) Mixture Y, because colloidal emulsion droplets aggregate at the surface and can be poured off cleanly without specialized chemical additives.
   • D) Mixture Z, because the dense, insoluble granules rapidly settle to form a stable sediment layer, allowing the supernatant liquid to be poured off without carrying the solid along.

Answers and step-by-step solutions appear after you finish the test.