Which of the following can be separated by using a separating funnel and which cannot be separated by using a separating funnel?

(a) water and kerosene mixture

(b) water and acetone mixture

Give reasons for your answer.

A separating funnel is used for the separation of components of a mixture between two immiscible liquid phases. One phase is the aqueous phase and the other phase is an organic solvent. This separation is based on the differences in the densities of the liquids. The liquid having more density forms the lower layer and the liquid having less density forms the upper layer. Hence water and kerosene mixture can be separated by using a separating funnel whereas water and acetone are separated by the process of distillation.