what is filtration in chemistry

Filtration is a process used to separate solid particles from a liquid or gaseous fluid by using a filter medium that permits the fluid to pass through but retains the solid particles/Structure_and_Reactivity_in_Organic_Biological_and_Inorganic_Chemistry_II%3A_Practical_Aspects_of_Structure_-Purification_and_Spectroscopy/07%3A_Purification_of_Molecular_Compounds/7.02%3A_Filtration). The filter medium can be made of various materials such as paper, cloth, cotton-wool, asbestos, slag- or glass-wool, unglazed earthenware, sand, or other porous material. The basic requirements for filtration are a filter medium, a fluid with suspended solids, a driving force such as a pressure difference to cause fluid to flow, and a mechanical device (the filter) that holds the filter medium, contains the fluid, and permits the application of force. Filtration can be used to obtain either the clarified fluid or the solid particles removed from the fluid, depending on the desired product. Filtration is widely used in chemical laboratories and in the production of chemicals/Structure_and_Reactivity_in_Organic_Biological_and_Inorganic_Chemistry_II%3A_Practical_Aspects_of_Structure-_Purification_and_Spectroscopy/07%3A_Purification_of_Molecular_Compounds/7.02%3A_Filtration).