Distillation separates a mixture by producing vapor from a liquid and collecting the condensed liquid, called the distillate. The more volatile component can have a higher mole fraction in the vapor. Simple distillation collects this condensate directly; fractional distillation adds repeated contact in a fractionating column.[ref]
Distillation introduction. Chem2O06 Laboratory Manual by McMaster University; General Principles; A Mixture of Ideal Liquids; Fractional Distillation
Two questions must be kept separate. Vapor-liquid equilibrium describes which compositions can coexist. A distillation material balance accounts for how much of each component leaves in each product. A product can be enriched without containing all the original component, and even a feasible distillation material balance does not establish that an apparatus can make those products.
Distillation connects a heated pot, a fractionating column, a thermometer, a laboratory condenser, and a receiver
. Original schematic, not a scale drawing. Bulb position and mantle support follow the paired simple and fractional distillation experiment; blue marks the cooling jacket. Details.
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