SEPARATING BASED ON BOILING POINT
View the following video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRGR5ZvO3AU
Some mixtures can be made up of components which have different boiling points to separate.
Such mixtures can be separated by the process of:
1. Simple Distillation
2. Fractional Distillation
Simple Distillation
This process is used to separate a solvent from a solution.
The solution is heated to the liquid’s boiling point causing it to evaporate into a vapour and
rise.
The vapour escapes into the condenser which is surrounded by cold running water. The
condenser cools the vapour and turns it back into a liquid. The liquid solvent is collected
as the distillate.
Examples of mixtures separated by simple distillation are: sea water, ethanol and water
Fractional Distillation
This process also makes use of the fact that different components in a mixture boil at different
temperatures.
It is especially used to separate a mixture of liquids whose boiling point very similar, but not
identical.
The apparatus is similar to simple distillation except that there is an additional piece of equipment
called a fractionating column.
Examples of mixtures separated by fractional distillation are: crude oil, air
Activity
1. Write the meaning of the following terms:
a. Boiling point
b. Distillation
c. Condenser
d. Distillate
e. Fractional distillation
f. Fractionating column
g. Crude oil
h. Air
2. Name the separation method used to separate : i. petroleum, ii. alcohol and water
