A centrifugal separator for a flowable mixture having a housing rotatable defining a separation chamber. At least one magnet is carried by the housing and is rotatable therewith to create a magnetic field within the housing with the magnetic lines of force carried around the axis of rotation during rotation of the housing. The chamber is divided into sub-chambers by radially extending baffles. The mixture is retained in each sub-chamber during housing rotation so as to stabilize the mixture and rotate it together with the housing. Housing scrapers face the inside surface of the housing to remove from that surface material which is attracted to the magnet. This action tends to draw the molecules of the mixture into alignment with the rotating lines of force thereby polarizing the molecules and decreasing molecular bonding. The centrifugal action causes the polarized molecules with decreased bonding, to move apart with the heavier molecules moving radially outwards further from the lighter molecules. Preferably, the housing is mounted on a central hollow shaft along which the mixture flows towards the chamber. In the shaft, the mixture is rotated towards or at the rotational speed of the housing and with the magnetic lines of force extending into the shaft and also rotating, some polarization and resultant weakening of molecular bond results followed by molecular separation in the shaft before the mixture reaches the chamber.