Distillation
Chemistry: Cambridge International GCSE Supplement, topic 12.1.5
Distillation
Distillation is a special technique used to separate mixtures of liquids. It uses the different boiling points of liquids to separate them. There are 2 types of distillation:
Simple distillation
- Separates 2 liquids with different boiling points.
- The mixture is heated until the liquid with the lower boiling point starts to boil.
- The vapour released passes through a condenser, where the gas cools back into a liquid.
- Simple distillation is also used to obtain a solvent from a solution.
Fractional distillation
- Separates lots of liquids with different boiling points.
- The mixture is slowly heated until the liquid with the lowest boiling point boils and then condenses.
- Then we increase temperature slowly to collect (boil then condense) the other fractions.
Test yourself on Distillation
Why is a thermometer used in simple distillation?