http://www.ck12.org Chapter 2. Matter and Change
FIGURE 2.6
Oil and water do not mix. Instead, they
form two distinct layers called phases.
The oil phase is less dense than the water
phase, so the oil floats on top of the
water.Separation of Mixtures
A pizza is a heterogeneous mixture. If you have a pizza slice with green peppers on it and you don’t like green
peppers, you could easily pick them off before eating the slice. Other mixtures may not be as easy to separate. The
oil and water mixture can be separated by carefully pouring off the oil layer in a process called decanting. The
components of all mixtures can be separated by some physical means.
Filtration
Sand does not dissolve in water. In order to separate sand from water, the mixture can be poured through a filter. The
tiny holes of a filter, called pores, allow the water to pass through while trapping the sand grains behind.Filtration
is a technique that separates solids from liquids in a heterogeneous mixture(Figure2.7).