Video Transcript
Why do chemists prefer to use fluted filter paper rather than conical filter paper when performing gravity filtration? (A) Fluted filter paper can be reused. (B) Fluted filter paper is quicker to prepare than conical filter paper. (C) Fluted filter paper removes smaller particles more effectively than conical filter paper. (D) Fluted filter paper provides a large surface area and helps to speed up the filtration process. Or (E) fluted filter paper fits into the funnel better than conical filter paper.
Gravity filtration is a separation technique used to separate an insoluble solid from a liquid. This type of filtration is preferred in cases where there is a large amount of mixture to separate and the mixture needs to be filtered while it is hot. In terms of performing gravity filtration in a laboratory setting, a mixture of an insoluble solid and a liquid is poured over a porous piece of filter paper, where the liquid and any soluble components will pass through the filter paper and be collected in the Erlenmeyer flask and will then be called the filtrate, leaving the insoluble solid behind in the filter paper, where it is then called the residue.
This question is asking why fluted filter paper is preferred over conical filter paper. Filter paper that has been fluted or folded into lots of small triangles allows for more efficient filtration due to providing a larger surface area that the solvent can seep through. As a result, fluted pieces of filter paper help to speed up the filtration process. Conical filter papers are folded in quarters, which results in a portion having a double layer of filter paper. This double layer slows down the separation process because the solution has to pass through not one but two layers of filter paper.
Based on this information, the correct answer is option (D). This is because option (D) states the correct reasons as to why fluted filter paper is preferred for gravity filtration, while answer choices (A), (B), (C), and (E) are all false statements.
Regardless of whether the filter paper is fluted or conical, filter paper should not be reused as it could contaminate future separations. So we can eliminate answer choice (A). Fluted filter paper actually requires extra folding to generate the small triangle shapes. So it takes more time, not less time, to prepare. This eliminates option (B). The ability to separate smaller particles from a mixture does not depend on how the filter paper is folded, but rather on the pore size of the filter paper, which is usually indicated on the packaging the filter paper comes in. This eliminates option (C). And lastly, both fluted and conical folded filter paper fit into the funnel with the conical shape fitting a little more snuggly than the fluted filter paper, making option (E) a false statement as well.
Therefore, why is fluted filter paper preferred over conical filter paper for gravity filtration? The answer is option (D). Fluted filter paper provides a large surface area and helps to speed up the filtration process.