Question

Hexane is an organic solvent that is very sparingly soluble in water and has a density of 0.655 g/ml. A beaker containing hexane and water is sitting in a laboratory. In the beaker, where will the water be and where will the hexane be?

Answer 1

Answer:

The water will form the bottom layer and hexane the top layer

Explanation:

Hexane is a non-polar solvent while water is polar. For this reason they will not mix. However the density of water is $1g/ml$ and that for hexane is

0.655 g/ml. Density tells us how heavy as substance is. The densities of both solvents shows that water is more dense than hexane. When two immiscible liquids of different densities are placed in a containing vessel, the one with a higher density usually stays at the bottom. Water will be at the bottom and hexane at the top.