NCERT Solutions Class 6 Science Chapter 5

NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Science Chapter 5 Separation of Substance

NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Science Chapter 5 by Extramarks are clear and concise solutions to the end-of-chapter questions. These have been prepared by expert teachers who know the importance of this chapter in the final exams while preparing these study materials. These materials have solutions to all the textbook questions. Students can use these materials to prepare for their final examinations more effectively. Since the materials provided by Extramarks explain all concepts in a simple language, students will be able to grasp the concepts easily by studying with these materials.

NCERT Class 6 Science Other Chapters Solutions

NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Science

Chapter 5 of the Class 6 Science NCERT, Separation of Substances, teaches students about how we can separate individual substances from mixtures. For example, how milk and curd are churned to separate the butter, grain is separated from stalks while harvesting, etc. Students will learn about the many different methods of separating individual substances from their mixtures including Handpicking, Threshing, Winnowing, Sieving, Sedimentation, Decantation and Filtration.

This is a very practical chapter and students will find many different practical examples and exercises in this chapter to help them build a strong foundation for the concepts included here.

NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Science Chapter 5 – Separation of Substances Important Topics 

The important topics and concepts students will learn in NCERT class 6 science chapter 5 separation of substances are as follows:

  • Methods of separation
  • Hand-picking
  • Winnowing
  • Threshing
  • Sieving 
  • Sedimentation, Decantation, and Filtration
  • Evaporation
  • Use of more than one method of separation
  • Can water dissolve any amount of substance?

Important Points  

  • When one or more components from a mixture are separated, this process is known as separation.
  • Hand-picking is used to separate large-sized impurities such as pieces of dirt, husk, stone, and from pulses, wheat, and rice. It is a common method of separation. 
  • In the process of threshing, stalks are beaten to separate the grains from the harvested crop. For this purpose, threshing machines are used nowadays but they can also be done manually by farmers. 
  • Sieving is also a method of separation where the mixture is passed through a filter or a sieve. The particles that are larger in size, usually the impurities, fail to pass through the filter and collect in the sieve. 
  • Filtration is used to remove solid particles from the fluid component of the mixture through a filter.
  • Sedimentation is the process of settling the heavier component in the mixture upon adding water. The method of sedimentation is used to separate grains from dust and soil.
  • The decantation process is performed after sedimentation where water is removed along with impurities. 

5.1 Methods of Separation

The chapter talks in detail about the different methods of separation known to man used to separate individual substances from the mixtures. Some of the methods include handpicking, winnowing, threshing, sieving, evaporation, sedimentation, filtration, etc. Let us discuss each of these methods in detail.   

Hand-picking is the crudest method of separation of substances. This method can be used to separate large substances. For example, large rocks can be hand-picked from garden soil. Also, plastic is removed from other debris by hand-picking. The details of this method of separation are discussed in Class 6 Science Chapter 5.

Threshing is another method of separating substances. It is mainly used to separate the grains from the stalks. However, the process cannot be applied to all grains. This technique is mainly used to separate rice or wheat. In this process, the stalks with the grains are thrashed on a stone or a wooden slab. Continuous slabbing will separate the grains from the stalk. 

Winnowing is another process of separation of substances. This process is used to separate the heavier from the lighter substances. This technique is often used by villagers to separate the seeds from the seed covers. They take the seed to a plate and hold it at shoulder height. Then they tilt the plate and continuously move it. The lightweight seed covers separate easily and fall from the plate. The heavyweight seeds remain on the plate.

You will come across the process of sieving in Class 6 Science Chapter 5. Sieving is the process of separation of smaller substances from bigger ones. The mixture of the two is passed through a mesh or a sieve. The size of the pores in a mesh is such that the smaller substances pass through and not the bigger ones. The mixture is evenly spread on the mesh. The mesh will be agitated so that the smaller substances fall through the mesh. In this way, smaller substances are separated from the bigger ones through sieving.

Sedimentation is usually done to separate the solid substances suspended in a liquid. The substance must not dissolve in the liquid. The container containing the mixture must not be disturbed during the process. When the liquid (along with any soluble impurities) is removed from the insoluble solute, the process is called decantation. This technique is often used to wash rice. The rice is insoluble sediments at the bottom of the container. The water along with the dissolved impurities is removed by the process of decantation. 

Filtration follows the same process as sieving. However, you might not require the agitating process while filtration. Filtration is the process of separating the finer particles from the liquid by using gravitational force. The liquid containing the finer particles is passed through a filter paper along with gravitational force. The liquid gets collected below the funnel in a beaker containing the filter paper. The particles get collected in the filter paper. You will get solved examples of filtration in NCERT Solutions For Class 6 Science Chapter 5.

Evaporation is the process of separating dissolved particles from a liquid by applying heat. Heating the mixture will convert the liquid into gas. The dissolved particles will come out from the liquid and remain in the container. This process is often used to extract salt from saltwater. 

There can be multiple ways to separate two substances from a mixture. For example, sand and salt can be separated by winnowing or sieving. The mixture can also be blended with water. Salt, being soluble, separates from sand, which is insoluble in water. As a result, the sand can get separated. The salt can then be separated from water by the process of evaporation. 

Water is considered a universal solvent. It can dissolve several substances. However, there is a restriction on the amount of any substance that can be dissolved, beyond which the solution is called saturated. 

Key features of NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Science Chapter 5 

NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Science Chapter 5 has the following key features.

  • These solutions are prepared by subject matter experts that give special care and attention to accuracy
  • Students can use these solutions to prepare much more effectively for their exams
  • Students can refer to these solutions whenever they get stuck on any of the NCERT questions
  • A single reading of these solutions right before the exam will give students the confidence to score much better

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Filtration is a commonly used process to separate materials from their mixtures. It is used to separate the fine particles insoluble in any solvent. It works in the direction of gravity. The blend is allowed to pass through a filter paper. The particles get trapped on the filter paper while the water gets collected underneath.

Salt is soluble in water. The best way to separate salt from water is by evaporation. In this process, the saltwater is heated continuously till all the water evaporates. After the water evaporates, salt is left behind in the container. You can collect the evaporated water by taking it to a condensing container.

Another method of substance separation is winnowing. The process is explained in Chapter 5 of Class 6 science. This method is used to distinguish between heavier and lighter substances. Villagers use this method to separate seeds from seed coverings. They put the seed on a dish and hold it up to their shoulders. The plate is then slightly tilted and moved continuously. The thin seed covers simply fall from the plate. Heavyweight seeds remain on the table.

Threshing is a way to separate substances. Its primary purpose is to separate grain from stalks. This method however does not work with all grains. Typically, this method is used to separate rice or wheat. The stalks and grains are thrashed on a wooden surface in this operation. The grains get separated from the stalks if slabbing continues.