A mixture of 50:50 perfume oil and water are mixed in a scintillation vial to check for water soluble impurities held in the perfume. Some perfumes have a density very close to water and thus an emulsion is formed which takes several hours if not days to separate completely. How would a chemist go about separating these two similar density liquids from each other. I am aware that a centrifuge could be helpful in this process. However centrifugation is not available in the location the process is taking place. I've been researching some possible demulsifying agents but wanted to ask here to see if I may be overlooking a more obvious or elegant method of separating any stubborn emulsions that pop up.
