Distillation

• simple distillation:

  • A solution is heated, usually using a Bunsen burner
  • The liquid in the mixture evaporates into a gas
  • The gas is cooled by a water jacket, and condenses into a liquid, which then flows into the beaker
• highlighted part:

  • Fractionating column

  
• highlighted part:

  • boiling flask

  
• highlighted part:

  • cooling jacket

  
• highlighted part:

  • condenser

  
• highlighted part:

  • beaker

  
• Fractional distillation can separate a mixture of several liquids that each have different Boiling points
• fractional distillation:

  Boiling flask ➔ fractionating column ➔ condenser ➔ beaker
• process of fractional distillation to separate a mixture of the liquids methanol, ethanol and propanol:

  • Heat is applied and the liquid with the lowest boiling point evaporates and condenses into a beaker
  • If other liquids evaporate by chance, they condense in the fractionating column back into the flask.
  • The temperature is altered to repeat the process for the second liquid. 
  • The three liquids are separated based on differing boiling points with the third remaining in the flask.