Nepedia
Back to Discover
Independent Reader
⚛️

Extraction (chemistry)

physical science Maturity 9-11 Next article →

Extraction is a way to pull a substance out of a mix.

Separatory funnel
Separatory funnel

Scientists use this to separate things. There are two main ways to do this.

One way uses two liquids. These liquids are immiscible. This means they do not mix together.

Separatory funnel-tag
Separatory funnel-tag

In a lab, people use a separatory funnel. They put the liquids in the funnel. One liquid pulls a part from the other. This works because of how well things dissolve. Often, a liquid pulls organic parts out of water.

Another way uses a solid. This is called solid-liquid extraction.

Soxhlet extractor
Soxhlet extractor

You can see this when you make tea. Hot water pulls taste and caffeine from tea leaves. In a lab, scientists use a Soxhlet extractor. They put a solid sample in a small part called a thimble. A liquid solvent then flows over the solid. The liquid dissolves the part we want. Then, the liquid moves back into a flask. Finally, the liquid is removed to collect the product. This can even be used to make decaf coffee. It removes the caffeine from the beans.

178 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (3)
File:Separatory_funnel-tag.svg
Separatory_funnel-tag.svg
File:Separatory_funnel.jpg
Separatory_funnel.jpg
File:Soxhlet_extractor.svg
Soxhlet_extractor.svg
More to explore

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.