How do you separate gases?

Answer 1

If we assume different chemical properties for the gases: react some substrate with one and leave the others. This was how oxygen was removed from samples of air, 200-250 years ago.

Or if the gases have different condensation temperatures, then cooling the sample will condense out one, then another, then another, ..

Or if there is a highly radioactive isotope of one gas, but not another, expose the sample ot very high particle radiation. Eventually the newly radioactive isotope will decay and no longer be present.

Or use a mass spectrometer to separate the molecules one by one.

Or freeze the gas sample, and sort out the solid crystals. Won't work very well for, say, helium, although one of the odd states of liquid helium might just run away from the rest of the gases.

Or apply a voltage to the gas and collect them by magnetic means as they ionize one gas species at a time. Possible to do it with heat as well, but the apparatus will be more difficult. Or you can be really tricky and use a tunable laser to perform the ionization.

Some gas species adhere to surfaces more efficiently than others. if you have such a mixture, you might be able to find a material which will remove one species while leaving another.

Hire Maxwell's Demon, heat the gas sample to a uniform temperature and let the Demon sort them by velocity (if there is a mass difference between the species).

Answer 2

Along with my reaserch of acid making, to make hydrocloric acid you ....bla bla bla then a GAS is realeased you bubble it through water a you have hydrocloric acid. But oxygen and gasses that dont mix with water bubble through to the top. Im sure that other liquids can absorb other gases. But getting the gases out of the water is different. possibly electrolisis By, Luke T from New Jersey

Answer 3

There are several method to separate two or even more gases mixed with one another.

Gases can be separated using their activity of reaction with any specific substance.They can be removed by absorption of them in specific material like "Charcoal" or metals like Platinum or Palladium.

There are some more methods for this process.

So,basically the method of separation of gases depends on the types of gases.

Answer 4

The lighter one floats to the top while the heavier one sinks to the bottom.

Answer 5

There are a number of ways but one of the most common is to freeze the gas, the different components liquify a differeing temperatures.

Answer 6

If you cool air down to very low temperatures you can separate the gases as they have different condensation temperatures.