Which lab activity uses raw plant materials with chemical additives?

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

Answer: (A)

Extraction centers on pulling desired compounds from raw plant material using a solvent, often with chemical additives that boost solubility or selectivity. The plant matter provides the target molecules, and the solvent—sometimes with acids, bases, salts, or other modifiers—helps dissolve and separate those compounds from the rest of the material. Filtration is just physically separating solids from liquids, not about chemically processing the plant material. Distillation relies on differences in boiling points to separate components, not extracting them from plant tissue. Synthesis involves forming new compounds from simpler starting materials, rather than isolating substances already present in the plant.