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Chemistry > Is Matter Around Us Pure? > Distillation

Distillation

Table of Contents
What is Distillation? Role of Raoults Law and Daltons Law

Types of Distillation Important Applications

What is Distillation?
Distillation refers to the selective boiling and subsequent
condensation of a component in a liquid mixture. It is a separation
technique that can be used to either increase the concentration of a
particular component in the mixture or to obtain (almost) pure
components from the mixture. The process of distillation exploits the
difference in the boiling points of the components in the liquid mixture
by forcing one of them into a gaseous state.

It is important to note that distillation is not a chemical reaction but it

can be considered as a physical separation process. An illustration
describing the laboratory setup that is generally used to execute this
process is provided below.

The distillation performed on a laboratory scale often uses batches of

the liquid mixture whereas industrial distillation processes are
generally continuous, requiring a constant composition of the mixture
to be maintained.

Role of Raoult’s Law and Dalton’s Law

The temperature at which the vapor pressure of a liquid becomes
equal to the pressure of the surrounding area is known as the boiling
point of that liquid. At this temperature point, the liquid is converted
into its vapor form via the formation of vapor bubbles at its bulk.

It is important to note that the boiling point of the liquid changes with
the surrounding pressure. For example, the boiling point of water at
sea level is 100oC but its boiling point at an altitude of 1905 meters is
93.4oC (since the atmospheric pressure is relatively lower at high
altitudes).

For a mixture of liquids, the distillation process is dependent on

Dalton’s law and Raoult’s law. As per Raoult’s law, the partial pressure
of a single liquid component in an ideal liquid mixture equals the
product of the vapor pressure of the pure component and its mole
fraction. According to Dalton’s law of partial pressures, the total
pressure exerted by a mixture of gases is equal to the sum of the
partial pressures of all the constituent gases.

When a mixture of liquids is heated, the vapor pressure of the

individual components increases, which in turn increases the total
vapor pressure. Therefore, the mixture cannot have multiple boiling
points at a given composition and pressure.

Why is it Impossible to Completely Purify a Mixture by

Distillation?
At the boiling point of a mixture of liquids, all the volatile constituents
boil. However, the quantity of a constituent in the resulting vapor is
based on its contribution to the total vapor pressure of the mixture.
This is why the compounds with higher partial pressures can be
concentrated in the vapors whereas the compounds having low
partial pressures can be concentrated in the liquid.

Since a component in the mixture cannot have zero partial pressure, it

is impossible to obtain a completely pure sample of a component
from a mixture via distillation. However, samples of high purity can be
obtained when one of the components in the mixture has a partial
pressure which is close to zero.

Types of Distillation
Some important types of distillation include:

Simple distillation
Fractional distillation
Steam distillation
Vacuum distillation
Air-sensitive vacuum distillation
Short path distillation
Zone distillation

Simple Distillation
Simple distillation involves heating the liquid mixture to the boiling point
and immediately condensing the resulting vapors.
This method is only effective for mixtures wherein the boiling points of the
liquids are considerably different (a minimum difference of 25oC).
The purity of the distillate (the purified liquid) is governed by Raoult’s law.

Fractional Distillation
Fractional distillation is often used to separate mixtures of liquids that
have similar boiling points. It involves several vaporization-
condensation steps (which takes place in a fractioning column). This
process is also known as rectification. The apparatus required to
perform a fractional distillation on a mixture is listed below.

Round-bottom flask or distilling flask

A source of heat, which can be a fire or a hot bath.
Receiving flask to collect the condensed vapors
Fractioning column
Thermometer to measure the temperature in the distilling flask
Condenser
Standard Glassware.

When heated, the liquid mixture is converted into vapors that rise into
the fractioning column. The vapors now cool and condense on the
walls of the condenser. The hot vapors emanating from the distilling
flask now heat the condensed vapor, creating new vapors.

Many such vaporization-condensation cycles take place and the

purity of the distillate improves with every cycle. An illustration
depicting a fractional distillation setup is provided below.

Commonly used condensers in laboratories include Liebig condensers

and Graham condensers.

Steam Distillation
Steam distillation is often used to separate heat-sensitive components in
a mixture.
This is done by passing steam through the mixture (which is slightly
heated) to vaporize some of it. The process establishes a high heat-
transfer rate without the need for high temperatures.
The resulting vapor is condensed to afford the required distillate.
The process of steam distillation is used to obtain essential oils and herbal
distillates from several aromatic flowers/herbs.

Vacuum Distillation
Vacuum distillation is ideal for separating mixtures of liquids with very high
boiling points.
In order to boil these compounds, heating to high temperatures is an
inefficient method. Therefore, the pressure of the surroundings is lowered
instead.
The lowering of the pressure enables the component to boil at lower
temperatures. Once the vapor pressure of the component is equal to the
surrounding pressure, it is converted into a vapor.
These vapors are then condensed and collected as the distillate. The
vacuum distillation method is also used to obtain high-purity samples of
compounds that decompose at high temperatures.

Air-Sensitive Vacuum Distillation

For compounds that are sensitive to air and readily react with it, the
vacuum distillation process is carried out but the vacuum must be
replaced with an inert gas once the process is complete. Such a
process is often referred to as air-sensitive vacuum distillation.

Short Path Distillation

Short path distillation is used to purify a small quantity of a compound
that is unstable at high temperatures. This is done under lowered
pressure levels and generally involves the distillate traveling a very
small distance before being collected (hence the name ‘short path’).
The reduced distance traveled by the distillate in this method also
reduces the wastage along the walls of the apparatus.

Zone Distillation
The process of zone distillation involves the partial melting of a
substance and the condensation of the resulting vapors to obtain a
pure distillate. This is carried out in a long container with the help of a
zone heater.

Important Applications
The method of distillation has a considerable history, dating back to
3000 BC. Evidence suggests that the distillation of alcohol was
developed as far back as the 9th century. Some important
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applications of distillation are listed below. Program
Distillation plays an important role in many water purification techniques. Name
Many desalination plants incorporate this method in order to obtain
drinking water from seawater.
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Distilled water has numerous applications, such as in lead-acid batteries
and low-volume humidifiers.
Many fermented products such as alcoholic beverages are purified with City
the help of this method.
Many perfumes and food flavorings are obtained from herbs and plants
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via distillation.
Oil stabilization is an important type of distillation that reduces the vapor
pressure of the crude oil, enabling safe storage and transportation. Email Address
Air can be separated into nitrogen, oxygen, and argon by employing the
process of cryogenic distillation.
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Distillation is also employed on an industrial scale to purify the liquid
products obtained from chemical synthesis.

To learn more about distillation and other related topics, such as

sublimation, register with BYJU’S and download the mobile application
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Frequently Asked Questions on Distillation

Q1 What is distillation?
CBSE Sample Papers
Distillation refers to the selective boiling and subsequent
condensation of a component in a liquid mixture. It is a separation CBSE Sample Papers Class 8
Science
technique that can be used to either increase the concentration of
a particular component in the mixture or to obtain (almost) pure CBSE Sample Papers Class 9
Science
components from the mixture.
CBSE Sample Papers Class 10
Q2 What is the boiling point? Science

CBSE Sample Papers Class 11

The temperature at which the vapour pressure of a liquid
Physics
becomes equal to the pressure of the surrounding area is known
as the boiling point of that liquid. CBSE Sample Papers Class 11
Chemistry

Q3 Does the boiling point of a liquid vary with pressure? CBSE Sample Papers Class 11
Biology
Yes, the boiling point of a liquid varies with pressure. For example,
CBSE Sample Papers Class 12
the boiling point of water at sea level is 100℃ but its boiling point
Physics
at an altitude of 1905 meters is 93.4℃ (As the atmospheric
CBSE Sample Papers Class 12
pressure is relatively lower at high altitudes).
Chemistry

Q4 Where do we use fractional distillation? CBSE Sample Papers Class 12

Biology
Fractional distillation is primarily used in separating liquid with
comparable boiling points. It involves several vaporization-
condensation steps taking place in a fractioning column.

Q5 What is zone distribution? CBSE Previous Year

Question Papers
Zone distillation involves the partial melting of a substance and
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the condensation of the resulting vapours to obtain a pure
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distillate. This is carried out in a long container with the help of a
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zone heater.
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