Resumen de Flotation of Mineral and Dyes: A Laboratory Experiment for Separation Method Molecular Hitchhikers
Tim Rappon, Jarrett A. Sylvestre, Manit Rappon
Flotation as a method of separation is widely researched and is applied in many industries. It has been used to address a wide range of environmental issues including treatment of wastewater, recovery of heavy metals for recycling, extraction of minerals in mining, and so forth. This laboratory attempts to show how such a simple method can be used to separate chemicals and minerals. With flotation, particles (mineral or dye molecules) hitch a ride with air bubbles to the surface of the liquid. Students learn how the basic principles that they learn from theory can be applied to a significant method of separation that they can connect with their daily lives. This laboratory is easy to set up and requires only simple pieces of apparatus that can be purchased from household stores. Therefore, it can be prepared for teaching in virtually any chemistry laboratory in the world.
