ACTIVITY SHEET

DATE: _______________________
SUBJECTION/SECTION: ________________________
GROUP NAMES:

Chemistry is the study of matter and how matter behaves and interacts with other kinds of matter. The
way that matter behaves is called a property of matter. Everything around us is made of matter, and you
can explore the properties of matter using some common chemicals around your home.

One important property of matter is called solubility. We think about solubility when we dissolve
something in water. If a chemical is soluble in water, then the chemical will dissolve, or disappear, when
you add it to water. If it is not soluble, or insoluble, then it will not dissolve and you will still see it
floating around in the water or at the bottom of the container.

When you dissolve a soluble chemical in water you are making a solution, and solutions are very
important for chemistry. In a solution, the chemical you add is called the solute and the liquid that the
chemical dissolves in is called the solvent. Even though when a solvent dissolves a solute it becomes
invisible, the solute is still there. If you were to evaporate all of the liquid away from the solution, you
would be left with your dry chemical again. In fact, this is how salt is processed in giant salt flats where
seawater is slowly evaporated, leaving behind huge amounts of sea salt.

All of the different kinds of matter can be sorted into categories based upon whether they are soluble or
not in different solvents. Because of this, the properties and solubility of different chemicals can be used
to separate mixtures of chemicals. A chemical mixture is a blend of two or more different kinds of
chemicals where the individual chemicals do not react with each other, but remain separate. You can
see an example of this when you look closely at a dry mixture of salt and sand.

EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE

1. Before you begin, examine your salt and sand closely and make some initial observations. You can
place some salt and sand on a napkin or piece of paper and, using your magnifying glass, make
some observations and draw what you see. What do you notice? In your lab notebook, make a
data table like Table 1 and record your observations in it, in the "Observations before mixing"
row.

2. Note: If your sand has a lot of debris in it, use a strainer to purify it and make your in one of your
glass canning jars, add 60 milliliters (mL) (or 1/4 cup) of salt, and 60 mL of coarse sand.
3. Put the lid on your jar and shake until the salt and sand are completely mixed together.
 4. Using your magnifying glass, look closely at the mixture. What do you notice? Can you still see the
individual grains of salt and sand? Record your observations in the data table in your lab notebook,
in the "Observations of the mixture" row.
5. Put the teakettle or pot on the stove, and heat up some boiling water. Have an adult help you do
this.
6. Have an adult help you carefully pour 120 mL (or 1/2 cup) of boiling water into your jar. Be careful
as the glass will get very hot! Carefully stir the jar with a spoon.
7. Using your magnifying glass, look closely at your solution. What do you notice? Can you still see
the individual grains of salt and sand? Record your observations in your data table, in the
"Observations after adding water" row.
8. Place the coffee filter in the funnel and place the funnel in the top of your second glass canning
jar to make your separation apparatus, as shown in Figure 1.

a. Observations again.

Figure 1. Place a coffee filter in the funnel and place the funnel in the second glass jar to make your
separation apparatus.

9. Slowly pour the solution over your filter, being careful not to pour too much at once. As the
solution seeps through the filter, let it collect in your jar.
 10. Now looking at the coffee filter, what do you see? Record your observations in your data table, in
the "Observations after separation" row. Carefully scrape off any particles on the filter with a
spoon and place them into the first glass jar.
11. Place both glass jars onto a cookie sheet, and have an adult help you bake the jars on the cookie
sheet in the oven at 325° Fahrenheit (F) until all of the water has evaporated from both of the
jars. This may take over an hour.
12. Turn off the oven and let it cool down for at least 1 hour.
a. Safety Note: If glass undergoes a rapid temperature change, it may break or shatter. For
this reason, it is important that you let the oven cool down for at least an hour before
taking out the jars.
13. After the oven has cooled down, have an adult help you carefully remove the jars, using oven
mitts, and allow them to cool to room temperature before handling. They will probably still be
very hot!
14. After the jars are cool, use your magnifying glass to make observations of the two jars. What do
you notice? Can you still see the individual grains of salt and sand? Are they mixed together or
separated? Record your observations in your data table, in the "Observations after drying" row.
15. Now carefully use the graduated cylinder or measuring cup to measure the amount of salt and
sand you ended up with. Do these amounts match the amounts you started with? (Hint: See step
2.) Why do you think this happened?
a. Tip: If you use the graduated cylinder to do this, you may want to use the funnel (without
the filter) to help pour the salt and sand grains into the graduated cylinder.

SALT SAND
Observations before mixing

Observations of the mixer

Observations after adding
water

Observations after Separation

Observations After Drying