When it comes to distilling spirits, there are two main types: fractional and simple. While both methods have their advantages, understanding the difference between them is key to making the right choice for your distillery. In this post, we’ll take a closer look at these two processes and see how they differ.
What is Fractional Distillation?
Fractional distillation is a process used to separate mixed liquids into their individual parts, or fractions. This type of distillation takes advantage of different boiling points for different liquids. Fractional distillation typically uses a glass fractionating column. Fractional distillation begins with the liquid to be distilled being placed in the still pot. The still pot is heated until the liquid inside started to boil. As the liquid boils, it turns into vapor and rises up the glass fractionating column. Depending on the individual boiling point, the vapor will either condense back into liquid form or continue rising up the column. By using this process, it is possible to separate mixed liquids into their individual parts. Fractional distillation is often used in laboratories to purify chemicals. It can also be used to produce gasoline, alcohol, and essential oils.
What is Simple Distillation?
Simple distillation is a process used to separate components of a mixture based on their boiling point. In a simple distillation setup, the mixture is heated in a distillation flask until the temperature of the vapor equals the boiling point of the component with the lowest boiling point. This vapor is then condensed and collected in a separate container. Simple distillation is often used to purify liquids, such as water, that have a large difference in boiling points. For example, water has a boiling point of 100°C, while its impurities, such as salt, have a much higher boiling point. As a result, by heating water to its boiling point and condensing the resulting vapor, it is possible to produce pure distilled water. Simple distillation can also be used to isolate other liquids from mixtures, as long as there is a significant difference in their boiling points.
Difference between Fractional and Simple Distillation
Fractional and simple distillation are two methods used to separate mixtures of liquids. Fractional distillation is more efficient than simple distillation, as it can be used to separate mixtures of liquids with different boiling points. Simple distillation is only effective at separating mixtures of liquids with similar boiling points. Fractional distillation works by using a column packed with a material such as glass beads. The column is heated from the bottom, and the vapor that is produced rises up through the column. The different components of the mixture have different boiling points, so they will vaporize at different rates. The more volatile components will vaporize first and exit the column at the top, while the less volatile components will remain in the column. Simple distillation works in a similar way but does not use a column. This means that it is less efficient at separating mixtures of liquids. Fractional distillation is therefore the preferred method for separating mixtures of liquids.
Conclusion
In fractional distillation, the components of a liquid mixture are separated by heating them to their boiling points and collecting the vaporized fractions. The main advantage of fractional distillation is that it can be used to separate mixtures that have a wide range of boiling points. Simple distillation, on the other hand, can only be used to separate liquids with relatively similar boiling points.
