Purification techniques: crystallization sublimation distillation differential extraction chromatography and their applications - Question Bank

1. Which purification technique is suitable for separating an organic compound from water-soluble impurities if the compound itself is insoluble in water?
A) Distillation
B) Crystallization
C) Filtration followed by washing
D) Sublimation
2. Which property is NOT typically exploited for separation in chromatography?
A) Polarity
B) Volatility
C) Solubility
D) Boiling point
3. In differential extraction, the solvent that extracts the solute more efficiently is known as the:
A) Stationary phase
B) Mobile phase
C) Extracting solvent
D) Aqueous phase
4. Crystallization is generally most effective for purifying:
A) Gases
B) Liquids with high boiling points
C) Solid organic compounds
D) Ionic compounds
5. Which technique is used to purify heat-sensitive compounds by reducing the boiling point under reduced pressure?
A) Simple distillation
B) Fractional distillation
C) Steam distillation
D) Vacuum distillation
6. What is the 'tailing' phenomenon in chromatography?
A) The solvent front moving too quickly
B) The solute forming a sharp, defined spot
C) The solute spreading out into a long streak
D) The stationary phase degrading
7. Which of the following is a major advantage of chromatography over other purification techniques?
A) It can purify large quantities of material efficiently.
B) It can separate complex mixtures with closely related components.
C) It is always the fastest method.
D) It requires no solvent.
8. In partition chromatography, separation occurs based on the difference in the ______ of the solute between two immiscible liquid phases.
A) Boiling points
B) Solubility
C) Partition coefficient
D) Density
9. Which purification technique is based on the difference in vapor pressure of components in a liquid mixture?
A) Crystallization
B) Sublimation
C) Distillation
D) Chromatography
10. A separatory funnel is used in which purification technique?
A) Crystallization
B) Distillation
C) Sublimation
D) Differential extraction
11. Which chromatography technique is often used for rapid qualitative analysis of reaction mixtures or purity checks?
A) Column Chromatography
B) Gas Chromatography (GC)
C) Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC)
D) Ion Exchange Chromatography
12. What is the primary purpose of using a fractionating column in fractional distillation?
A) To increase the rate of vaporization
B) To provide a large surface area for repeated condensation and vaporization
C) To cool the vapors rapidly
D) To collect the distillate directly
13. Which purification method is generally NOT suitable for purifying ionic compounds?
A) Crystallization
B) Distillation
C) Sublimation
D) Differential extraction
14. Filtration is a technique used to separate:
A) Dissolved solids from a liquid
B) Solid particles from a liquid or gas
C) Liquids with different boiling points
D) Volatile solids from non-volatile solids
15. Which of the following is a characteristic of the mobile phase in chromatography?
A) It is fixed in place.
B) It moves through the stationary phase.
C) It is the substance being separated.
D) It is a solid adsorbent.
16. In Gas Chromatography (GC), the separation of components is based on their differences in:
A) Boiling points and interaction with the stationary phase
B) Solubility in a solvent
C) Ability to sublime
D) Density
17. Steam distillation is a type of distillation where the mixture is heated by passing steam through it. This is effective for compounds that are:
A) Miscible with water
B) Insoluble in water and have a high boiling point
C) Highly soluble in water
D) Decomposable at high temperatures
18. Which of the following methods is used to separate an organic acid from a mixture of neutral compounds and organic bases?
A) Sublimation
B) Distillation
C) Differential extraction
D) Crystallization
19. When purifying a solid by crystallization, the ideal solvent should:
A) Dissolve the impurities well at all temperatures
B) Dissolve the compound well at all temperatures
C) Dissolve the compound sparingly at low temperatures and well at high temperatures
D) Not dissolve the compound at any temperature
20. Which purification technique is most suitable for separating components of a mixture based on their different affinities for the stationary and mobile phases?
A) Crystallization
B) Distillation
C) Sublimation
D) Chromatography
21. In Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC), the stationary phase is typically a thin layer of silica gel or alumina coated on a:
A) Paper
B) Glass or plastic plate
C) Metal foil
D) Cotton cloth
22. Which distillation technique is used to separate a volatile liquid from a non-volatile solid, or liquids with very large boiling point differences?
A) Fractional distillation
B) Simple distillation
C) Steam distillation
D) Vacuum distillation
23. The process of dissolving a solid in a suitable solvent, filtering, and then allowing crystals to form upon cooling is called:
A) Sublimation
B) Distillation
C) Crystallization
D) Extraction
24. Which of the following is a limitation of sublimation as a purification technique?
A) It requires a large amount of solvent.
B) It is only suitable for liquids.
C) Not all compounds sublime.
D) It is very time-consuming.
25. Differential extraction is particularly useful for separating a solute from a mixture when the solute has a higher solubility in:
A) The aqueous phase
B) The organic phase
C) Both phases equally
D) Neither phase
26. In chromatography, Rf value is defined as the ratio of the distance traveled by the:
A) Solvent front to the solute
B) Solute to the solvent front
C) Stationary phase to the solute
D) Solute to the stationary phase
27. Which purification technique is used to isolate compounds that are insoluble in a particular solvent?
A) Distillation
B) Filtration
C) Sublimation
D) Extraction
28. Crystallization works best when the desired compound is ______ soluble at room temperature and ______ soluble at higher temperatures.
A) Highly; slightly
B) Slightly; highly
C) Equally; equally
D) Insolubly; solubly
29. Which type of chromatography is often used for analyzing volatile compounds at high temperatures?
A) Paper Chromatography
B) Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC)
C) Gas Chromatography (GC)
D) Column Chromatography
30. What is the purpose of the condenser in a distillation apparatus?
A) To heat the liquid
B) To vaporize the liquid
C) To cool the vapor and condense it back into liquid
D) To collect the solid residue
31. Which technique is used to separate a mixture of liquids with boiling points differing by more than 25°C?
A) Fractional distillation
B) Simple distillation
C) Steam distillation
D) Vacuum distillation
32. A compound that sublimes readily is likely to have:
A) Strong intermolecular forces
B) Weak intermolecular forces
C) High ionic character
D) High molecular weight
33. Which purification method is based on the principle of selective adsorption?
A) Distillation
B) Crystallization
C) Chromatography
D) Sublimation
34. In column chromatography, the stationary phase is typically a solid adsorbent packed into a tube. The mobile phase is:
A) A solid material
B) A liquid or gas
C) The mixture being separated
D) The adsorbent itself
35. Differential extraction is most effective when the solute has a significantly different ______ in the two solvents.
A) Density
B) Polarity
C) Partition coefficient
D) Molecular weight
36. Which of the following is NOT a type of chromatography?
A) Adsorption Chromatography
B) Partition Chromatography
C) Distillation Chromatography
D) Ion Exchange Chromatography
37. What is the primary advantage of vacuum distillation?
A) To separate liquids with very close boiling points
B) To purify compounds that decompose at their atmospheric boiling points
C) To purify volatile solids
D) To separate immiscible liquids
38. Which chromatography technique uses a thin layer of adsorbent material coated on a glass plate?
A) Paper Chromatography
B) Column Chromatography
C) Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC)
D) Gas Chromatography (GC)
39. In fractional distillation, the fractionating column provides a large surface area to facilitate:
A) Repeated vaporization and condensation
B) Direct sublimation
C) Differential extraction
D) Ion exchange
40. Steam distillation is particularly useful for purifying compounds that are:
A) Highly soluble in water
B) Decomposable at their boiling points
C) Non-volatile
D) Ionic
41. Which of the following is a common application of crystallization?
A) Separating isotopes
B) Purifying solid organic compounds
C) Analyzing gaseous mixtures
D) Separating immiscible liquids
42. Sublimation is a process where a solid directly converts into:
A) Liquid
B) Gas
C) Plasma
D) A different solid
43. Which chromatographic technique is used to separate ions based on their charge and size?
A) Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC)
B) Gas Chromatography (GC)
C) Ion Exchange Chromatography
D) Column Chromatography
44. What is the mobile phase in paper chromatography?
A) The filter paper
B) A solvent or mixture of solvents
C) The ink being analyzed
D) The absorbent layer
45. In chromatography, the stationary phase is:
A) The mobile liquid or gas
B) The solid or liquid coated on a solid support
C) The substance being separated
D) The solvent used for elution
46. Differential extraction relies on the difference in the ______ of the solute in two immiscible solvents.
A) Boiling points
B) Solubility
C) Melting points
D) Viscosity
47. Which type of distillation is used to separate liquids with very close boiling points?
A) Simple distillation
B) Vacuum distillation
C) Steam distillation
D) Fractional distillation
48. Distillation is primarily used to separate liquids with significant differences in their:
A) Solubility
B) Melting points
C) Boiling points
D) Density
49. Which of the following compounds can be purified by sublimation?
A) Sodium chloride
B) Benzoic acid
C) Naphthalene
D) Both B and C
50. What is the principle behind crystallization as a purification technique?
A) Difference in boiling points
B) Difference in solubility
C) Difference in polarity
D) Difference in molecular size