Separating Mixtures and Solutions...Again

Today we separated mixtures of sand and water, sugar and water, and salt and water. We first mixed the materials, then predicted what would happen when we evaporated the water. As a class, we decided the sugar and water would all evaporate because the sugar had dissolved into the water. We hypothesized the sand would remain from the sand and water mixture, and the salt would remain from the salt and water mixture. After the water had all evaporated, we examined what was left. The students were pretty surprised by the results from the sugar. The sugar had not evaporated. In fact, the sugar and water had created a thick syrup. Sugar crystals actually started to form on the sides and top of the beaker after the syrup sat for a while.