Topic 1 - Distillation

Question 1

what is simple distillation used for?

Answer 1

separating a liquid from a solution

Question 2

what could you use simple distillation for?

Answer 2

getting pure water from seawater

Question 3

how does simple distillation work?

Answer 3

1. solution is heated
2. part of the solution with the lowest boiling point evaporates
3. vapour is cooled, condensed and is collected
4. the rest of the solution is left in the flask

Question 4

what is the problem with simple distillation?

Answer 4

you can only use it to separate 2 liquids with very different boiling points

Question 5

what is fractional distillation used for?

Answer 5

seperating a mixture of liquids

Question 6

how does fractional distillation work?

Answer 6

1. the liquid with the lowest boiling point evaporates first
2. liquids with higher boiling points also start to evaporate, but will only get part of the way up before condensing as it is cooler towards the top
3. when the first liquid is collected, raise the temperature until the next one reaches the top