Distillation
Definition
Distillation is a process used to separate components based on their different boiling points. It involves heating a liquid until it vaporizes, then cooling the vapor back into liquid form and collecting it separately.
Analogy
Imagine distillation as an audition for singers with different pitch ranges. When they sing at certain pitches (temperatures), only those who can hit that note (boiling point) will be heard (vaporize). Then they're recorded separately (condensed and collected).
Related terms
Fractional Distillation: A type of distillation used to separate a mixture of liquids with close boiling points.
Simple Distillation: A process used to separate components of a liquid mixture that have significantly different boiling points.
Steam Distillation: A special type of distillation used for temperature sensitive materials like natural aromatic compounds.
"Distillation" appears in:
Study guides (2)
Practice Questions (4)
What and how does distillation separate matter?
What type of change does distillation use to separate matter?
Consider a distillation lab with liquid A and liquid B. If liquid A is collected in the receiving flask, what does this say about the boiling points of liquid A and B?
Distillation is used to separate ______.
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