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Simple Distillation
Simple distillation is a method used for the separation of components of a mixture containing
two miscible liquids that boil without decomposition and have sufficient difference in their boiling
points. The distillation process involves heating a liquid to its boiling points, and
transferring the vapours into the cold portion of the apparatus, then condensing the vapours
and collecting the condensed liquid in a container.
Materials Required:
Porcelain chips, mixture of acetone and water, 250ml and 100 ml RB flasks, heating mantle,
vacuum adapter, distilling head, thermometer adapter, water condenser and stand with clamp.
Procedure:
Take a mixture of acetone and distilled water and pour it into a 250 ml RB flask.
Clamp the RB flask to a stand and place it in a heating mantle.
Take some porcelain chips and put them into the RB flask.
Connect a distilling head to the RB flask and a thermometer adapter with thermometer
to the distilling head. Connect a water condenser to the outlet of
the distilling head and a vacuum adapter to the water condenser.
Now connect a 100 ml RB flask or receiver flask to the vacuum adapter.
Place the RB flask into a beaker containing water.
Then connect a rubber tube between the tap and the inlet of the condenser to allow the
cold water to enter. Similarly, connect another rubber tube to
the outlet of the condenser to pour the hot water from the condenser to the sink.
Open the tap so that water flows through the tube and fills the condenser and then comes
out through the outlet. Set the temperature of the heating mantle
and heat the mixture to boil. At 56°Celsius, acetone vaporizes and the
vapours pass through the condenser and condensation occurs. The acetone is collected in the receiver
flask in the liquid form and water is left behind in the distillation flask.
Acetone boils at 56°Celsius, and water boils at 100° Celsius. Therefore, the miscible
mixture of acetone and distilled water can be separated only by simple distillation.
Since the acetone & water mixture forms an azeotrope, the procedure needs to be repeated
to obtain the components in the pure state.