How to Separate a Mixture of Sand and Sugar

The mixture of sand and sugar can be separated based on drastically different solubility of those components in water. The sand (silicon dioxide) is virtually insoluble. On contrary solubility of sugar reaches 487 g per 100 ml of water at 100 degree Celsius.

Things You'll Need

• kitchen scale cooking pan funnel coffee filter spoon

Instructions

1. Weigh the sand/sugar mixture on a kitchen scale. For example, the mixture weight is 750 grams.

2. Estimate the volume of the water that should be used with the following formula.
   Volume (water)=(mixture mass (grams)/487 grams)x 100 ml +100 ml. Then round up the result to tens. Additional volume of 100 ml should account for water loss due to evaporation during the boiling and filtration. In our example, volume (water)=(750/487)x100+100 ml=254 ml. Round it to tens to obtain 250 ml.

3. Pour the calculated water amount into a cooking pan and get the water to boil. Remove the source of heat.

4. Put the sand/sugar mixture in the hot water and stir for 1 to 2 min with a spoon. You should see the sand on the bottom of the pan.

5. Insert a regular coffee filter into a funnel and slowly pour the hot solution through. Ensure that the filtered sugar solution is collected into another pan. The sand should remain in the filter. The separation is complete

6. Recover sugar from the solution by leaving the solution in the open pan to let water naturally evaporate.

References

• "A Handbook of Sugar Analysis. A Practical and Descriptive Treatise for Use in Research, Technical and Control Laboratories", C.A. Browne, 1912.