Question

Explain why solute cannot be separated from a solution by filtration?

Answer 1

Filtration is a physical or chemical separation process that separates solid matter and fluid from a mixture using a filter medium that has a complex structure through which only the fluid can pass. Solid particles that cannot pass through the filter medium are described as oversize and the fluid that passes through is called the filtrate.

Complete Step By Step Answer:
Filtration is the process of separating suspended solid matter from a liquid, by causing the latter to pass through the pores of some substance, called a filter. The liquid which has passed through the filter is called the filtrate. Solute cannot be separated from a solution by filtration because solute particles get dissolved into the intermolecular space present in water. So, when the solution is poured through the filter paper, the solute also passes through it.
Oversize particles may form a filter cake on top of the filter and may also block the filter lattice, preventing the fluid phase from crossing the filter, known as blinding. The size of the largest particles that can successfully pass through a filter is called the effective pore size of that filter. The separation of solid and fluid is imperfect; solids will be contaminated with some fluid and filtrate will contain fine particles.

Note:
Filtration is used to separate particles and fluid in a suspension, where the fluid can be a liquid, a gas or a supercritical fluid. Depending on the application, either one or both of the components may be isolated. Filtration, as a physical operation, enables materials of different chemical composition to be separated.