Liquids Distillation and Boiling Points

Distillation. If the impurities in a liquid are non-volatile, the liquid may be purified by direct distillation, the impurities remaining in the distilling-flask. This process is therefore essentially the same as a simple distillation for boiling-point determination, and has been already described on pp. 7-9. 

Fractional distillation. The aim of distillation is the separation of a volatile liquid from a non-volatile substance or, more usually, the separation of two or more liquids of different boiling point. The latter is usually termed fractional distillation. The theoretical treatment of fractional distillation requires a knowledge of the relation between the boiling points, or vapour pressures, of mixtures of the substances and their composition if these curves are known, it is possible to predict whether the separation is difficult or easy or, indeed, whether it will be possible. 

Reflux 1 ml. of the ether with 5 ml. of freshly distilled, constant boiling point hydriodic acid (Section 11,49,2), b.p. 126-128°, for 2-3 hours. Add 10 ml. of water, distil and collect about 7 ml. of liquid. Decolourise the distillate by the addition of a httle sodium bisulphite, and separate the two layers by means of a dropper pipette (Fig. 11,27,1). Determine the b.p. of the resulting iodide by the Siwoloboff method (Section 11,12) and prepare a crystalline derivative (Section 111,42). 

Distillation is the process by which two or more liquids, or a solution of liquids and solids, are separated as a result of differences in vapor pressure and boiling points through the evaporation and condensation of the mixture components above the boiling liquid mixture. 

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