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2020 O Level Chem P1 Q4 — Purity / Separation Techniques Solution

Purity / Separation Techniques 2020 O Level Pure Chemistry · Paper 1 · Q4

Question

A colourless substance is made in an experiment. Which are possible methods to determine if this substance is pure? 1 Measure the melting point of the substance and compare with the reference value. 2 Measure the boiling point of the substance and compare with the reference value. 3 Test the substance using paper chromatography and a locating agent.
  1. A1, 2 and 3
  2. B1 and 2 only
  3. C2 and 3 only
  4. D2 only
Correct answer: A

Video Solution

Explanation

Answer: A (all three methods, 1, 2 and 3). A pure substance has a sharp, fixed melting point and boiling point, whereas an impure substance melts and boils over a range. So measuring the melting point (method 1) and the boiling point (method 2) and comparing each with the reference value will both reveal whether the substance is pure.

Paper chromatography (method 3) also works: a pure substance gives a single spot, while a mixture gives more than one. Because this substance is colourless, a locating agent is needed to make the spots visible, exactly as method 3 describes.

All three are valid purity checks, so the answer is A. Common error: some students reject chromatography for a colourless sample, forgetting that the locating agent is specifically there to solve that problem.

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