Year 7 - Science
Chromatography
Separation techniques
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit covers techniques for separating mixtures, including filtration, evaporation, distillation, and chromatography, as well as identifying pure substances. Conduct experiments safely, record observations, evaluate methods, and suggest improvements.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to describe how chromatography works and use a chromatogram to answer questions about a substance.
Key Notes
- Chromatography can be used for both separation of minute samples and analysis.
- A pure substance will only produce one spot on a chromatogram.
- A mixture will produce many spots on a chromatogram.
- Comparing chromatograms can help to identify an unknown component in a sample.
- Pencil is insoluble in water.
Vocabulary To Learn
- solvent: A solvent is a liquid into which a solute dissolves.
- soluble: When a substance dissolves in a liquid, it is described as soluble in that liquid.
- chromatography: Chromatography is a technique that separates a mixture into its different parts and the results can be analysed.
- chromatogram: A chromatogram is the resultant pattern on the stationary phase after chromatography has been carried out.
- compare: To compare is to look for similarities and/or differences between two objects or ideas.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Pupils can struggle to interpret information that contain several samples on one chromatogram.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.
Chromatography can be used for both separation of minute samples and analysis. A pure substance will only produce one spot on a chromatogram.
2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'solvent'
A solvent is a liquid into which a solute dissolves. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.
3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.
Mistake: Pupils can struggle to interpret information that contain several samples on one chromatogram. Correction: Stress a systematic approach to interpreting chromatograms - use rulers. Live model this - using a visualiser helps enormously.
More Lessons In This Unit
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