The reaction of aqueous solutions of barium chloride and sodium sulfate results in the formation of a precipitation of barium sulfate. Sodium chloride is also formed but is soluble in water. Why would you use filtration to isolate the barium sulfate rather than evaporation or recrystalization? Explain your answer.

Filtration allows the solvent carrying the NaCl tol go through the paper while the paper retains the BaSO4. If the NaCl is allowed to stay with BaSO4 for recrystallization or evaporation then BaSO4 and NaCl will be mixed together.

Filtration is used to isolate barium sulfate because it is insoluble in water. When barium chloride and sodium sulfate react in aqueous solution, a precipitate of barium sulfate is formed. Precipitation occurs because barium sulfate has a low solubility in water. As a result, it appears as a solid (precipitate) that can be separated from the rest of the solution.

Evaporation is not suitable in this case because it involves heating the solution to remove the water and leave behind the solid. However, barium sulfate is not only insoluble in water but also thermally stable, meaning it does not decompose or melt easily with heat. Therefore, evaporating the solution will not efficiently separate the barium sulfate.

Recrystallization is another technique commonly used to purify solids. However, recrystallization relies on the solubility difference between the compound of interest and impurities. In this case, both barium chloride and sodium sulfate are highly soluble in water, so recrystallization wouldn't effectively separate barium sulfate from these dissolved compounds.

Filtration, on the other hand, works well because it exploits the difference in solubility between barium sulfate (insoluble) and sodium chloride (soluble). By passing the mixture through a filter, the insoluble barium sulfate can be trapped in the filter paper, while the soluble sodium chloride and any remaining solution pass through as filtrate. The solid residue on the filter paper can then be collected, washed, and dried to obtain pure barium sulfate.

In summary, filtration is the most appropriate method to isolate barium sulfate because it selectively separates the insoluble precipitate from the soluble components, while evaporation and recrystallization are not as effective due to the solubility and thermal stability properties of barium sulfate.

Filtration is used to isolate the barium sulfate in this reaction rather than evaporation or recrystallization due to the solubility properties of the compounds involved. Barium sulfate is an insoluble compound in water, meaning that it does not dissolve in water. On the other hand, sodium chloride is soluble in water, which means that it does dissolve in water.

Evaporation involves heating the solution to remove the water, leaving behind the dissolved substances. However, since sodium chloride is soluble in water, it would remain in the solution even after evaporation, along with the barium sulfate. This would make it difficult to separate the two compounds.

Recrystallization is a process in which a solute is dissolved in a suitable solvent and then the solution is cooled down to allow the solute to form crystals. In the case of barium sulfate and sodium chloride, both compounds would likely form crystals upon cooling. However, since sodium chloride is soluble and barium sulfate is insoluble, it would be challenging to separate the two based on their different crystal forms.

Filtration, on the other hand, involves passing the mixture through a filter paper or other porous material to separate the insoluble solid (barium sulfate) from the soluble liquid and the other solid (sodium chloride). The solid barium sulfate is trapped on the filter paper, while the soluble sodium chloride passes through the filter and remains in the filtrate. This allows for a clean and efficient separation of the barium sulfate from the other compounds in the mixture.