Question

What is the advantage of fractional distillation over simple distillation?

Answer 1

 Fractional distillation is the separation of a mixture into its component parts, or fractions, such as in separating chemical compounds by their boiling point by heating them to a temperature at which several fractions of the compound will evaporate. It is a special type of distillation. Generally the component parts boil at less than 25°C from each other under a pressure of one atmosphere (ATM). If the difference in boiling points is greater than 25°C, a simple distillation is used.

Fractional distillation is more efficient in separating ideal solutions into their pure components than simple distillation. for solutions that deviate slightly from Raoult's law, the method can still be applied for complete separation. however for solutions that have minimum or maximum boiling points, fractional distillation separates them into the pure components and azeotropic mixture.

Answer 2

Fractional vs. Simple distillation

Explanation:

The difference between fractional and simple distillation is the number of times that the liquid is vaporized and condensed. Simple distillation condenses the liquid only once, in order for the distillation to be efficient, the boiling points of the liquids must be far apart. The process is the same in both processes, but difference is mainly one of iteration.

Although fractional distillation involves complicated set up and longer process time, it provides better separation between liquids vs. simple distillation. Using fractional distillation, we can separate complex mixtures of liquids with smaller boiling point separations. Example: Refining of crude oil