Question

Explain fractional distillation.

Answer 1

Fractional distillation is a process of seperating liquids mixture which are miscible differing in their boiling points.
It is used in seperating different components of air, different fractions from petroleus products etc.
Hope it helps u.

Answer 2

Distillation is the process of separating two or more liquids based on differences in their boiling points. When the liquids’ boiling points are very similar, however, separation by normal distillation becomes ineffective or impossible. Fractional distillation is a modified distillation process that allows the separation of liquids with similar boiling points.

A fractional distillation setup includes an additional column that sits vertically on top of the boiling flask and to which the condenser is connected. Its purpose is to increase the distance that the vapor must travel to reach the condenser. The columns are typically packed with glass beads or pieces of ceramic to increases the surface area the vapor must come into contact with as it transports to the condenser.

During normal distillation, a substantial amount of the higher-boiling liquid also will vaporize and transport to the collection flask, essentially becoming an impurity in the distilled product. This is especially problematic when the liquids being separated have similar boiling points. The more surface area the higher-boiling liquid contacts along the way, the more likely it is to condense back to a liquid and return to the boiling flask. Fractional distillation uses this increased surface area to improve the efficiency of the distillation.


Hope it helps