Which lab activity uses raw plant materials with chemical additives to refine a finished product?

• A. Extraction
• B. Distillation
• C. Filtration
• D. Crystallization

Answer: (A)

Extraction centers on pulling desired compounds from raw plant material into a solvent. Using chemical additives—such as acids, bases, or catalysts—helps break down the plant tissue and adjust conditions to improve solubility and transfer of the target constituents into the liquid phase. The resulting liquid is a refined product that can be further purified or concentrated into an extract. Distillation relies on separating components by boiling points, not on treating plant material with additives. Filtration removes solids from liquids, and crystallization forms solid crystals from a solution, not typically yielding a refined plant-based liquid product.