What process separates substances in a solution based on boiling points?

What process separates substances in a solution based on boiling points?

• A. Distillation
• B. Chromatography
• C. Filtration
• D. Precipitation

Answer: (A)

Boiling-point differences are used to separate components by distillation. When a liquid mixture is heated, the component with the lower boiling point vaporizes first. That vapor is then cooled in a condenser and collected as liquid in a separate container, leaving the higher-boiling component behind. If two liquids have similar boiling points, a fractionating column can help by providing more surface area for repeated vaporization and condensation, improving separation. This approach is ideal for separating liquids in a solution based on how easily each part turns into vapor. In contrast, filtration removes solid particles, precipitation forms a solid from a solution, and chromatography separates substances by how they interact with a stationary phase versus a moving phase. The distinguishing idea here is using boiling-point differences, which is what distillation exploits.

Boiling-point differences are used to separate components by distillation. When a liquid mixture is heated, the component with the lower boiling point vaporizes first. That vapor is then cooled in a condenser and collected as liquid in a separate container, leaving the higher-boiling component behind. If two liquids have similar boiling points, a fractionating column can help by providing more surface area for repeated vaporization and condensation, improving separation. This approach is ideal for separating liquids in a solution based on how easily each part turns into vapor.

In contrast, filtration removes solid particles, precipitation forms a solid from a solution, and chromatography separates substances by how they interact with a stationary phase versus a moving phase. The distinguishing idea here is using boiling-point differences, which is what distillation exploits.