Consider a mixture of water, sand, and oil. How many phases are present? How could you separate mixture into individual substances?

1. Pass the mixture through a filter mesh, this will separate the sand from the oil/water mixture. The sand can then be washed with some solvent to remove any traces of oil, and then dried out.

2. Place the oil/water mixture into a separating flask with a bottom tap, and let it stand undisturbed for an hour or so. The two liquids will separate into two distinct layers with the lower density oil floating above the higher density water (oils have densities below 1.00 g/ml). Open the tap and carefully run out the water later, leaving the oil layer in the flask.

Three phases make up the mixture of water, sand, and oil: liquid (water and oil) and solid (sand). There are several ways to separate the mixture into individual substances: 1. Filtration: This separates the solid particles (sand) from the liquids (water and oil); 2. Decantation: This allows the less dense liquid (oil) to be separated from the denser liquid (water) by pouring off the oil layer; 3. Distillation: This separates the components based on differences in boiling points; since the two liquids have different boiling points, the mixture can be heated and the vapors collected. 4. Centrifugation: This method uses centrifugal force to separate the components based on differences in density, allowing the denser sand to be separated from the liquids. 5. Emulsion breaking: This separates the mixture into individual substances.

In the mixture of water, sand, and oil, there are typically three phases present: a liquid phase (water and oil), a solid phase (sand), and an immiscible phase (oil).

To separate the mixture into individual substances, you can use several methods:

1. Filtration: Separate the sand from the liquid (water and oil) by pouring the mixture through a filter. The sand will be retained on the filter paper while the liquid passes through.

2. Decantation: Allow the mixture to settle, as sand will settle at the bottom due to its higher density. Carefully pour off the liquid (water and oil) layer, leaving the sand behind.

3. Separation Funnel: Use a separation funnel to separate the immiscible liquids (water and oil). Since water and oil have different densities, they will form distinct layers in the funnel. You can then drain off one of the layers while keeping the other.

4. Distillation: Heat the mixture to its boiling point, as water and oil have different boiling points. The component with the lower boiling point (in this case, the water) will evaporate first, leaving behind the component with the higher boiling point (oil). Collect the vapor and condense it back into liquid form to obtain pure water.

These methods can be used individually or in combination to separate the mixture into its individual components.