Separating Mixtures

Lab Brief #10

🎯 Your mission

Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.

⚡ The twist

Mixing two safe things doesn't always make a safe thing.

What you'll learn

A mixture contains two or more substances that are not chemically combined. You can often separate a mixture using physical methods like filtering, evaporating, or using a magnet.

Key words

mixture
Two or more things blended together that can be separated again.
physical change
A change in how matter looks without making a new substance.

Make a hypothesis first

Predict: will the mixture get hotter, colder, or stay the same?

Say your guess out loud — then find out if you were right.

Get ready

🧰 What you need

salt

⚠️ Safety first

Keep strong magnets away from phones, bank cards and anyone with a pacemaker.
Mop up spills straight away so nobody slips, and keep liquids away from sockets.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

Look at the vocabulary words and write a definition for each in your own words.

Step 2 of 4 · Do

Separate a mixture of sand, salt, and iron filings using a magnet, water, and a filter. Record each step and what you separated.

Step 3 of 4 · Observe

Note any unexpected results and think about why they happened.

Step 4 of 4 · Record

Share your findings with the class or a partner and discuss what you learned.

Question 1 of 3

Which method separates mixtures based on boiling points?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 3

How is a compound different from a mixture?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 3 of 3

What is a mixture?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

🌈 Every color you see is your brain inventing a translation of light frequencies.

Nice work!

You got 0 of 3 right.

All lessons

🎯

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✨ More to explore

🌍 Where you see this in real life: Your toothpaste, your soap, even your breakfast involves this.

🏆 Stretch challenge (try it this week): Ask a grown-up to help you mix two safe kitchen things. Predict what will happen first.

👨‍👩‍👧 For the dinner table: “What's something we cook that mixes things together this way?”

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Separating Mixtures

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