massauscheiding

Massauscheiding is a concept used in physics, chemistry and engineering to describe the separation of a mixture’s constituents based primarily on differences in their mass. The underlying idea is that particles with different masses respond differently to external forces, such as gravity or centrifugal acceleration, which allows a mixture to be divided into fractions with distinct mass characteristics.

Common mechanisms include gravitational settling, where heavier components descend faster in a fluid, and centrifugal separation, which uses high-speed rotation to amplify mass-based differences. In flow systems, inertial separation can also separate particles by mass when the fluid path and velocity cause heavier and lighter particles to follow different trajectories. These principles underpin several practical techniques.

Applications span several fields. In ore processing, gravity-based and centrifugal methods are used to concentrate heavier minerals from lighter gangue. In isotopic separation, mass differences between isotopes are exploited to enrich specific nuclides through processes such as centrifugation and diffusion, which are critical in nuclear fuel production and research. Mass differences also influence particle sizing and fractionation in pharmaceutical and materials processing, although other properties such as density, shape and interactions with the medium can affect outcomes.

Limitations include the fact that mass alone often does not determine separability; particle size, density, morphology, medium properties and energy requirements all play significant roles. Consequently, massauscheiding is frequently combined with other separation principles to achieve the desired purity or fractionation.

See also: isotopic separation, centrifugation, gravity separation, sedimentation.