Biomedical device technology ,by ANTHONY Y. K. CHAN, MSc, MEng, PEng, CCE
Distillation is a separation process that involves heating a liquid to its boiling point, transferring the vapour to a different portion of the apparatus, then condensing the vapour and collecting the condensate in another container. This technique is one of the most useful for separating a mixture of liquids when the components have different boiling points. Chemically, distillation is the principal method for purifying liquids (e.g. samples, or solvents for performing reactions). Successful distillation depends on several factors, including the difference in boiling points of the materials in the mixture, and therefore the difference in their vapour pressures, the type of apparatus used, and the care exercised by the experimentalist.
