Why cant a solute be separated by a solution by filtering?

Answer 1

Dissolve some sugar in water. Try and filter it out.

Now, stir some bits of wood into water. Try and filter it out.

You've just discovered the difference between a solution and a mixture.

Answer 2

Typically a solution is a solute dissolved in a solvent. As such, everything within the solution exists as discrete molecules. Unless you can get a filter with pores small enough to allow one type of molecule to pass and exclude the other molecules, you cannot filter one molecule out. There are actually some filters used in a process called "ultrafiltration" that operate on this principle. Very high weight molecules are retained on one side of the filter while the much smaller solvent (and small solute) molecules pass through the filter. Examples of this include ultrafiltration to purifyproteinsolutions.

Answer 3

Solute particles are dissolved in the solvent and are typically too small to be filtered out by a filter paper. The solute particles are usually at the molecular level and pass through the filter paper along with the solvent molecules, making it impossible to separate the solute using filtration.

Answer 4

Solutions can't be filtered because the substances that created the solutions are no homogenous. Trying to filter a solution means you are will simply get the entire solution.

Answer 5

Solutions~

No! Solutions cannot be filtered. This is because the particles in a solutions are so small.

Answer 6

the components of a solution are so small, that they will pass through the filter paper