What does decant mean in the context of separating a solid from a liquid?

• A. Filter the liquid to remove the solids.
• B. Filter and wash the solid to purify it.
• C. Filter or pour the liquid away, leaving the solid behind.
• D. Dissolve the solid and evaporate the liquid.

Answer: (C)

Decanting is a simple separation method based on letting the solid settle to the bottom and then pouring off the liquid, leaving the solid behind. Once the solid has settled, gravity pulls it to the bottom, so you tilt the container and carefully pour the liquid away while keeping the solid in place. This approach relies on the difference in how quickly the liquid and solid settle and doesn’t involve passing the mixture through a filter or dissolving the solid. It’s why the description that matches decanting is to pour the liquid away, leaving the solid behind.