The focus of the experiment conducted was
to extract a component (ethanol) from a two part
miscible solution (ethanol & water) with similar
boiling points through a process called fractional
distillation. Precise measurements were taken to
assess the purity and percentage of the distillate
collected. The process of fractional distillation
extracted the ethanol through a series of cyclical
evaporation and condensation processes and
proved to be effective , yielding a ethanol
distillate percentage of 90%. This index provided
an analysis of the quality of separation achieved.
Distillation is a process of refinement. A method
in which a substance is extracted and purified from its solution.
Fractional distillation, an extension of the simple distillation process is
complex in nature and requires much more
than one simple evaporation technique.
An overview of fractional distillation and its
practicality is related to temperature. In simple
distillation the liquid components that are to
be extracted vary in boiling point temperature
(Celsius)by at least 25 degrees. The more volati
le liquid with the lower bp is ideal for extracti
on in these circumstances and will evaporate
more readily and proficiently than that of the
The question is with that being said, is how do
we purify a component from its mixture when
the bp is less than 25 degress C? How will this
be done in an efficient manner and how will
this be done to yield the highest results? The
process of simple distillation is neither profici
ent or efficient in this situation.
It would require a distillation head the size
of the empire state building and exhaustive
measures to c...