Which one of the following methods can be used to separate anthracene from a mixture of salt and anthracene ?
Distillation
Sublimation
Evaporation
Chromatography
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This question was previously asked in
UPSC NDA-2 – 2021
Anthracene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon known for its property of sublimation, which is the process of transitioning directly from the solid to the gas phase upon heating, without passing through a liquid phase. Salt (e.g., sodium chloride) is an ionic compound with a very high melting point and does not sublime under normal conditions. Therefore, sublimation is an effective method to separate anthracene from a mixture containing salt. By heating the mixture, anthracene will turn into a gas and can be collected by cooling the vapour, leaving the non-sublimable salt behind.
– Anthracene sublimes easily upon heating.
– Salt does not sublime under typical conditions.
– Sublimation is used to separate a sublimable solid from non-sublimable solids.