What is the function of the glass beads in fractional distillation.
Answers
Beads vary greatly in size, shape, color, and the material from which they are made. The threading material and the threading method used to attach them are also varied. ... Glass beads are made of silica and other minerals melted at a high temperature to form a thick, viscous liquid.
One purpose of the glass beads is to disrupt the flow of vapour by convection to improve mixing and attainment of thermal equilibrium at each level of the fractionating column. This creates a steeper, smoother temperature gradient.
Fractional distillation would be more efficient and successful if it encounters a large surface area and glass beads provide a large surface area. Also, glass beads function as “imaginary surfaces” on which the liquid can condense, re evaporate and condense again, thus distilling the compound again and again.
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