Lesson T3.2.2

T3.2.2 Distillation and chromatography Quiz: KS3 Chemistry, Unit 3

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson T3.2.2, Distillation and chromatography: 20 multiple choice questions for the KS3 Chemistry (National Curriculum), Unit 3: Pure and impure substances, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What is distillation used for?

    • Separating a solid from a liquid by filtering the mixture through paper
    • Separating two insoluble solids using a magnet placed in the mixture
    • Separating a dye into its colour components by running it up special paper
    • Separating a liquid from a solution by evaporating it and then condensing the vapour

  2. What is the name of the part of distillation apparatus where vapour is cooled back into a liquid?

    • The filter funnel
    • The condenser
    • The crucible
    • The burette

  3. Why is distillation used to obtain pure water from sea water?

    • Water is attracted by a magnet placed in the flask, so it separates from the salt
    • Water evaporates and then condenses, leaving the dissolved salt behind
    • Water turns into a solid and the salt floats to the top of the flask
    • Water is filtered through paper to remove the salt particles from the solution

  4. Which property of the substances being separated is used by distillation?

    • Different boiling points
    • Different sizes of solid particles
    • Different magnetic properties
    • Different colours

  5. Why does distillation separate a solvent from a solution?

    • The solute boils first and collects in the condenser as a pure liquid
    • The solute reacts with the solvent and turns it into a solid crust in the flask
    • The solvent is heavier than the solute and so sinks to the bottom of the flask
    • The solvent boils and turns to vapour at a lower temperature than the solute

  6. In chromatography, what is the moving phase?

    • The solvent that carries the dye along the paper
    • The dye, which stays at the bottom
    • The paper, which dissolves in the solvent
    • The air above the paper

  7. What is chromatography used to separate?

    • Oxygen from nitrogen in the air by letting the two gases move up a column
    • A mixture of coloured substances, such as inks, into their colours
    • Water from salt by evaporation to dryness in an open dish over a flame
    • A mixture of two insoluble solids that can be separated by a sieve or filter

  8. Why does a dye that is more soluble in the solvent travel further up the paper?

    • It is heavier, so it sinks less into the paper and stays near the start line
    • It reacts with the paper to make it rise faster up the paper and spread
    • It turns into a gas at the start line and rises up the paper with the air
    • It moves more with the solvent, so it is carried higher up the paper

  9. Chromatography shows a black ink separated into blue, red and yellow spots. What does this tell you?

    • The black ink is a pure substance that is black
    • The black ink is an element
    • The black ink is a mixture of several coloured dyes
    • The black ink is a compound of blue and red

  10. Why is the start line drawn in pencil in chromatography?

    • So that the dyes can move down the paper
    • So that the paper can be heated by the solvent
    • So that the solvent can run out of the beaker
    • So that the dyes do not dissolve or move into the solvent

  11. Why is the start line kept above the solvent in chromatography?

    • So that the paper can be heated gently by the warm solvent in the beaker
    • So that the solvent can run out of the beaker and be collected for testing
    • So that the dyes do not dissolve directly into the solvent in the beaker
    • So that the dyes can move down the paper towards the solvent in the beaker

  12. What is the purpose of the condenser in a simple distillation?

    • To stop the vapour from escaping the flask
    • To cool the vapour so it turns back into a liquid
    • To heat the liquid so it boils faster
    • To filter out the solid residue

  13. Why does distillation need a heat source?

    • To freeze the liquid so it forms a solid
    • To boil the liquid so it turns into vapour
    • To make the solvent into a magnet
    • To melt the solid so it passes through

  14. A student sees two chromatogram spots rise to the same height in every solvent tested. What does this suggest?

    • The two spots are two different elements that cannot be separated by chromatography
    • The two spots are mixed gases that rose with the solvent at the same speed
    • The two spots may be the same substance, so the test cannot separate them
    • The two spots are both compounds that react with the solvent and each other

  15. What is the residue in a distillation?

    • The gas that escapes from the flask
    • The liquid collected in the beaker
    • The vapour that condenses in the condenser
    • The solute left behind in the flask

  16. Why does distillation separate a mixture of two liquids with different boiling points?

    • Both liquids boil at the same temperature so they cannot be separated
    • The liquid with the lower boiling point vaporises first and is collected separately
    • The liquid with the lower boiling point stays in the flask as residue
    • The liquid with the higher boiling point evaporates first and is collected first

  17. In chromatography, a dye spot does not move at all from the start line. What does this suggest?

    • The solvent has evaporated before the dye could move
    • The dye is a gas that remains at the start
    • The dye is not soluble in the solvent used
    • The dye is a pure element that cannot dissolve

  18. Why is chromatography used in forensic and food testing?

    • It can separate solids from liquids using a magnet placed beside the paper
    • It can change a mixture into a pure element that is easy to identify quickly
    • It can turn a sample into a solid compound that is easier to store and test
    • It can separate and identify different dyes or substances in a small sample

  19. How can chromatography help identify a pure substance?

    • A pure substance does not move up the paper at all, so it stays on the start line
    • A pure substance gives a single spot in each solvent, matching a known sample
    • A pure substance gives many spots in every solvent, one for each element present
    • A pure substance dissolves into the solvent and disappears before the test ends

  20. Which statement correctly compares distillation and filtration?

    • Distillation separates a dissolved solid from a liquid; filtration separates an insoluble solid from a liquid
    • Both methods separate two gases from each other by cooling them in a special apparatus at low pressure
    • Distillation separates insoluble solids; filtration separates dissolved solids from liquids
    • Distillation uses a magnet to pull out a solid; filtration uses heat to dry the liquid

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