A student obtains a mixture of the liquids hexane and octane, which are miscible in all proportions. Which of the following techniques would be best for separating the two components of the mixture, and why?
(A) Filtration, because the different densities of the liquids would allow one to pass through the filter paper while the other would not.
(B) Paper chromatography, because the liquids would move along the stationary phase at different rates owing to the difference in polarity of their molecules.
(C) Column chromatography, because the higher molar mass of octane would cause it to move down the column faster than hexane.
(D) Distillation, because the liquids would boil at different temperatures owing to the difference in strength of their intermolecular forces.
Solution:
Distillation is a laboratory technique that is used to separate liquids based on their boiling point. From the chart we can see that hexane has a much lower boiling point than octane, which would make for a successful separation using distillation. The different in the boiling points is due to the different of strength of intermolecular forces. The stronger the intermolecular forces, the higher the boiling point will be. Choice D is the correct answer choice.
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