Question

Describe a laboratory procedure that can be used to recover the solid solute from the aqueous solution.

Answer 1

A solid solute can be recovered from a solution by evaporating the solvent completely.

This can be done by heating the solution appropriately. Heating a solution with organic solutes such as sugar will most likely destroy the solute so it's best to let the solution stand in an open area and let it evaporate by itself. However, if you have an inorganic solute such as salt (NaCl), you can completely boil out the water without any problem.

Also, in a research laboratory, a rotary evaporator is commonly used. This instrument employs the principle of vacuum distillation and is used in mainly in removing solvents in solutions.