Elements, Compounds and Mixtures, Oh My!

We began today’s lesson with show and tell from our neuroscience labs!  The kids got to view specimens of mouse and sheep brains!  Ask them how they differed.  Then we went on to learn how to separate a mixture. The separation of components in a mixture is very important in many science fields. When scientists need to study one particular component of a mixture, various separation methods are used. These methods take advantage of the differences in the physical properties of the substances to be separated.

After reviewing the differences between chemical elements, compounds, and mixtures, we discussed some common reasons and methods for separating out the components of a mixture. Students were given a mixture of sand, rice, and iron filings and worked in teams to design and implement a multi-step purification process for this mixture, taking advantage of the different physical properties of each component to recover as much as possible. Various tools were provided, including many household items such as colanders, sieves, coffee filters, magnets, and utensils. Students used magnets to separate the iron fillings from the mixture and sieves were the most popular item used to separate rice and sand.

Additional Information:
Music Video – Meet the Elements (3:15) – file://localhost/They Might Be Giants https/::www.youtube.com:watch%3Fv=Uy0m7jnyv6U

 

 

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