Question

Which of the following statements correctly explains why physical properties of a substance can be used to separate mixtures?

1. When substances are mixed together, they retain their physical properties.


2. When substances are mixed together, you can see each individual component


3. When substances are mixed together, the mixture assumes the physical properties of each individual substance.


4. Mixtures contain different substances with different properties and chemists can separate one item from the mixture by forcing it to undergo a chemical change.

Answer 1

4) Mixtures contain different substances with different properties and chemists can separate one item from the mixture by forcing it to undergo a chemical change.

Step-by-step explanation:

Mixtures contain different substances with different physical properties, such as boiling point, melting point, solubility, density, and so on. These properties can be used to separate the individual substances in the mixture through various techniques. For example, distillation is a separation technique that relies on differences in boiling points of the substances in a mixture. When a mixture is heated, the substance with the lower boiling point will vaporize first, and it can be collected and cooled to form a pure substance. Similarly, other techniques such as chromatography, filtration, and crystallization also rely on differences in physical properties to separate mixtures.

On the other hand, chemical changes involve the rearrangement of atoms within a substance, resulting in the formation of a new substance with different properties than the original. While chemical changes can be used to synthesize new substances, they are not typically used to separate mixtures.