Potions 101: Testing, Mixing, and Separating

Comprehensive practice vocabulary flashcards covering all topics from Lessons 1 through 9: elements, compounds, mixtures, concentration, saturation, filtration, evaporation, distillation, chromatography, traditional Māori kāuru extraction, and gas preparation and testing.

Element

A pure substance made of only one type of atom that cannot be broken down chemically into simpler substances.

Nitrogen ($N$)

A chemical element represented by the symbol $N$ on the periodic table.

Copper ($Cu$)

A metallic element represented by the symbol $Cu$ on the periodic table.

Potassium ($K$)

A chemical element represented by the symbol $K$ on the periodic table.

Compound

Any substance that has two or more elements chemically joined together in a fixed ratio.

Water ($H_2O$)

A common chemical compound composed of hydrogen and oxygen chemically bonded in a fixed $2:1$ ratio.

Table Salt ($NaCl$)

A chemical compound composed of sodium and chlorine chemically joined together in a fixed $1:1$ ratio (sodium chloride).

Sugar ($C_{12}H_{22}O_{11}$)

A chemical compound (sucrose) composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen chemically joined together in a fixed ratio of $12:22:11$.

Mixture

A material made up of two or more substances that are physically combined, where individual substances retain their own properties.

Air

A common everyday gaseous mixture containing nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and other gases physically combined.

Sea Water

A common liquid mixture composed of water, sodium chloride, and other dissolved salts physically combined.

Physical Separation

The separation of components in a mixture using physical techniques (such as filtering, evaporation, or magnetism) without breaking chemical bonds.

Chemical Separation

The breakdown of compounds into their constituent elements, which cannot be achieved by physical means like filtering and requires chemical reactions.

Property Retention in Mixtures

The principle that individual substances retain their distinct physical and chemical properties when combined in a mixture (e.g., iron remains magnetic in a mixture).

Property Loss in Compounds

The principle that elements lose their individual properties once chemically joined into a compound (e.g., iron chloride is not magnetic).

Sharp Melting and Boiling Points

A defining characteristic of pure substances (elements and compounds), which melt and boil at single, distinct, fixed temperatures.

Range of Melting and Boiling Values

A characteristic feature of mixtures, which melt or boil across a span or range of temperatures rather than at a single sharp point.

Homogeneous vs. Heterogeneous

Compounds are always homogeneous (uniform throughout), whereas mixtures can be either homogeneous (uniform) or heterogeneous (non-uniform with distinct parts).

Hydrogen Peroxide ($H_2O_2$ Atom Composition)

A chemical compound containing 2 hydrogen atoms and 2 oxygen atoms.

Iron(III) Chloride ($FeCl_3$ Atom Composition)

A chemical compound containing 1 iron atom and 3 chlorine atoms.

Phosphoric Acid ($H_3PO_4$ Atom Composition)

A chemical compound containing 3 hydrogen atoms, 1 phosphorus atom, and 4 oxygen atoms.

Lead(II) Hydroxide ($Pb(OH)_2$ Atom Composition)

A chemical compound containing 1 lead atom, 2 oxygen atoms, and 2 hydrogen atoms.

Ethanol ($C_2H_5OH$ Atom Composition)

A chemical compound containing 2 carbon atoms, 6 hydrogen atoms, and 1 oxygen atom.

Iron(II) Phosphate ($Fe_3(PO_4)_2$ Atom Composition)

A chemical compound containing 3 iron atoms, 2 phosphorus atoms, and 8 oxygen atoms.

Solute

The substance that you dissolve into a solvent.

Solvent

The liquid that you dissolve substances in.

Solution

The mixture formed when you dissolve a solute into a solvent.

Soluble

Able to be dissolved in a solvent.

Insoluble

Unable to be dissolved in a solvent.

Dissolve

The process of mixing the solute with the solvent to give a clear solution.

Dilute Solution

A solution where few particles of a solute are present in a given volume of solvent.

Concentrated Solution

A solution where lots of particles of a solute are present in a given volume of solvent.

Saturated Solution

A solution in which no more solute can dissolve in the solvent at that temperature.

Ribena Solution Components

In prepared Ribena, the blackcurrant syrup is the solute, water is the solvent, and the mixed drink is the solution.

Baking Soda vs. Table Salt Solubility

An experimental comparison showing that table salt ($NaCl$) is more soluble in water than baking soda.

Hydrochloric Acid

A common laboratory acid with the chemical formula $HCl$.

Sodium Hydroxide

A common laboratory base with the chemical formula $NaOH$.

Nitric Acid

A common laboratory compound containing 1 atom of nitrogen, 1 atom of hydrogen, and 3 atoms of oxygen, with the chemical formula $HNO_3$.

Dilution

The process where more of a solvent is added to a solution to make it more dilute.

Concentration

A measure of how much solute is dissolved in a given volume of solvent.

Dilution Series

A stepwise series of solutions created by progressively adding solvent to produce solutions of decreasing concentrations.

Potassium Permanganate in Dilution

A deep-purple solute used in the laboratory to create a visible dilution series of decreasing colour across test tubes.

Saturated Point

The point during dissolving where no more solute can be dissolved in the solvent.

Effect of Temperature on Solid Solubility

The principle that the solubility of most liquid and solid solutes increases as the temperature of the solvent increases.

Recrystallisation

The process of dissolving an impure solid in hot solvent to saturation, filtering off impurities, and cooling the liquid to reform pure crystals.

Crystal Growing Method

A procedure where hot water is used to dissolve maximum solute, excess undissolved solid is filtered off, and the solution is left to cool and crystallise.

Instant Crystals

A demonstration where rapid precipitation of solid crystals occurs immediately as a warm supersaturated solution is poured.

Tea Solvent

Water, which acts as the liquid dissolving flavour and colour solutes from tea leaves.

Filtration

A separation method that separates soluble particles from insoluble particles in a solvent.

Filter Funnel

A conical laboratory apparatus used to support filter paper and direct the flow of liquid during filtration.

Filter Paper

A porous paper barrier placed inside a funnel that traps insoluble particles while allowing liquid and dissolved solutes to pass through.

Residue

The insoluble solid material collected and trapped inside the filter paper during filtration (e.g., sand).

Filtrate

The clear liquid that passes through the filter paper and is collected in a beaker or flask (e.g., salt water).

Evaporating Dish

A shallow ceramic dish used to heat and evaporate liquid solutions to leave behind solid solutes.

Bunsen Burner

A common laboratory device used to produce an adjustable open flame for heating chemicals and solutions.

Beaker

A flat-bottomed cylindrical glass container with a pouring spout used for mixing, heating, and holding liquids.

Conical Flask

A cone-shaped glass flask with a narrow neck used to hold liquids, swirl mixtures safely, and collect filtrates.

Magnetic Separation

A separation technique that uses a magnet on mixtures containing iron or steel to remove the magnetic solid.

Salt and Sand Separation Method

A procedure where water is added to dissolve the salt, the insoluble sand is filtered off as residue, and the filtrate is heated in an evaporating dish to recrystallise the salt.

Separation of Salt, Iron Filings, and Polystyrene Beads

A multi-step separation method where a magnet removes iron filings, water is added to float and skim off polystyrene beads, and the remaining salt solution is evaporated to recover salt crystals.

Evaporation (Physical Definition)

The vaporisation of a liquid that takes place at its surface, as molecules with more energy change from a liquid to gas.

Evaporation (Separation Method)

A separation technique used to remove and collect a dissolved solid solute from a solvent by heating the solution until the liquid evaporates.

Precaution Against Heating to Dryness

The rule to stop heating an evaporating dish when a little liquid remains so the residual heat finishes evaporation, preventing the dish from cracking.

Room Temperature Evaporation

Allowing a solution to sit in a shallow dish over an extended period at ambient room temperature to let the solvent evaporate naturally.

Salt Extraction from Seawater

The industrial separation of sodium chloride from sea water by allowing large shallow open ponds to evaporate under the sun.

Filtration Limitation with Salt Water

Salt cannot be separated from water by filtration because salt is soluble and passes directly through the pores of filter paper with water particles.

Evaporation Principle for Salt Water

Salt and water can be separated by evaporation because water is a liquid that evaporates to a gas at heating temperatures, whereas solid salt does not evaporate and is left behind.

Distillation

A separation technique that separates substances on the basis of their differing boiling points, used to collect the solvent or separate two different liquids.

Round-Bottom Flask

A spherical-bottomed glass flask used in distillation to ensure even heating of the boiling liquid mixture.

Condenser

A piece of distillation apparatus where hot gas rises, cools, and condenses back into a liquid state.

Thermometer in Distillation

A laboratory instrument placed at the neck of a distillation apparatus to measure the temperature of rising vapour.

Distillate

The purified liquid that has vaporised, cooled, condensed, and been collected in the receiving vessel during distillation.

Distillation Step 1 (Heating)

The initial step of distillation where the mixture inside the round-bottom flask is heated with a Bunsen burner.

Distillation Step 2 (Boiling Point Difference)

The stage in distillation where the component of the mixture with the lower boiling point boils and vaporises first.

Distillation Steps 3 and 4 (Vapour Movement and Condensation)

The stages where the rising gas travels through the condenser, cools down, and condenses back into liquid.

Distillation Steps 5 and 6 (Collection and Flask Residue)

The final stages where the liquid distillate is collected in a receiving vessel while the component with the higher boiling point remains in the flask.

Chromatography (Etymology)

The scientific term originating from the words 'chroma' (meaning colour) and 'graphy' (meaning image).

Chromatography (Definition)

A separation method that can separate mixtures of two or more coloured pigments, such as inks, dyes, and paints.

Pigment Separation Mechanism

Pigments separate in chromatography because they have different solubilities in a solvent, causing more soluble pigments to be carried faster and further by rising solvent.

Pigment Travel Distance Principle

The rule in chromatography stating that the more soluble a pigment is in the solvent, the greater the distance it travels up the paper.

Chromatography Pencil Start Line

The requirement that the starting line must be drawn in pencil because pencil 'lead' is insoluble and will not run with the rising solvent.

Chromatography Solvent Level

The requirement that the solvent depth must be lower than sample spots so the spots do not dissolve and run down directly into the solvent reservoir.

Chromatogram

The pattern of separated pigment spots produced on filter paper following a chromatography run.

Tī Kōuka (Cordyline australis)

The te reo Māori name for cabbage trees, native New Zealand trees known for having sugary sap transported within their trunks.

Kāuru

The crystallised sugar extracted by Māori tūpuna from inside tī kōuka trees using large earth ovens.

Umu-tī

Giant traditional earth ovens used by Māori tūpuna to heat sections of tī kōuka trunks for 2 to 3 days to crystallise kāuru.

Toki

Small traditional stone axes used by Māori tūpuna to strip bark and outer wood from young tī kōuka trunks prior to cooking.

Tī Kōuka Harvest Timing

The practice of harvesting young trees from October to December just before flowering, when sap contains the highest concentration of dissolved sugars.

Kāuru Extraction and Evaporation Process

Heating tī kōuka in an umu-tī evaporates water from the sap, concentrating the sugars until they crystallise directly between the plant fibres.

Traditional Uses of Kāuru

A sweet, valuable, energy-rich food source used by Māori tūpuna as a special treat and portable food for long-distance travel, especially in the South Island.

Hydrogen ($H_2$)

The first and lightest element on the periodic table, which is the most abundant element in the universe and makes up 92% of the Sun.

Laboratory Production of Hydrogen

Reacting a metal with an acid in the lab: $\text{magnesium} + \text{hydrochloric acid} \rightarrow \text{magnesium chloride} + \text{hydrogen}$.

Squeaky Pop Test for Hydrogen

The diagnostic test for hydrogen gas where trapping gas bubbles and holding a lighted splint near them produces a distinct squeaky pop sound.

Hindenburg Disaster

The historical 1937 airship catastrophe involving the rapid combustion of flammable hydrogen gas.

Oxygen ($O_2$)

A vital gaseous element making up a major part of the Earth's crust, present in water and sugar, and essential for combustion and respiration.

Laboratory Production of Oxygen

Decomposing hydrogen peroxide using a pinch of manganese dioxide (a black powder catalyst): $\text{hydrogen peroxide} \rightarrow \text{water} + \text{oxygen}$.

Glowing Splint Test for Oxygen

The diagnostic test for oxygen gas where a trapped gas sample causes a glowing wooden splint to relight, often many times.

Carbon Dioxide ($CO_2$)

A gaseous compound essential for photosynthesis, used in fire extinguishers because it does not support combustion, and used as dry ice in smoke machines.

Laboratory Production of Carbon Dioxide

Adding acid to a metal carbonate solid: $\text{calcium carbonate} + \text{nitric acid} \rightarrow \text{calcium nitrate} + \text{carbon dioxide} + \text{water}$.

Limewater Test for Carbon Dioxide

The diagnostic test where bubbling carbon dioxide gas through clear limewater using a delivery tube causes the limewater to turn milky.