EXPERIMENT 7: DISTILLATION

RESULTS

Initial Temperature : 24℃

Temperature of the first drop of distillate : 73℃

First receiver

Temperature (℃) Volume of the distillate

75 1 mL
76 2 mL
77 3 mL
78 4 mL
79 5 mL
80 6 mL
81 7 mL
81 8 mL
82 9 mL
83 10 mL
84 11 mL
86 12 mL
88 13 mL
90 14 mL
93 15 mL

Second receiver

Temperature (℃) Volume of the distillate

96 1
98 2
99 3
99 4
100 5
102 6
103 7

QUESTIONS
1. From the graph, determine the boiling point methanol and water.
*refer to graph paper
2. Between methanol and water, which has the lower boiling point based on the combustion
test? Explain your answer.
Methanol has the lower boiling point than water. Water has stronger polar forces between
its molecules than Methanol has between the methanol molecules. The oxygen from one
water molecule is very strongly attracted to the Hydrogen in another molecule which
makes them bond together tightly. The bond between methanol molecules is not as tight.
This is because they contain carbon hydrogen bonds and single carbon - oxygen -
hydrogen bonds and the overall molecular shape does not have such negative and positive
areas and is not attracted so strongly to other methanol molecules. So that when it comes
to combustion, methanol is burn easily than water.

3. What is the purpose of putting a few boiling chips into the pot?
Boiling chips will prevent superheating of the liquid being distilled and they will cause a
more controlled boil, eliminating the possibility that the liquid in the distillation flask will
bump into the condenser.

4. Between simple and fractional distillation, which type of distillation is more efficient to
separate methanol and water? Explain your answer.
Between these two methods, fractional distillation is the efficient method can be used to
separate methanol and water. This is because it gives better separation between liquids
than simple distillation. Other than that, it can more readily purify complex mixtures than
simple distillation. In the other hand, there is only a small temperature difference between
the two liquids. Since there is only a small difference between the two liquids, fractional
distillation is the preferable option.

5. List down the precautions that should be taken during distillation experiment.
i. Personal protective equipment should be worn during handling the methanol since
it is relatively a toxic fluid that can cause eye, skin and respiratory tract irritation
when carelessly exposed.

ii. The boiler will be very hot and can result skin injuries, thus it is important to wear
gloves when handling the apparatus.

iii. The boiling chip should be placed in the flask to make the solution to boil calmly.
CONCLUSION

In a conclusion, distillation is a very effecting method to separate the constituent parts of

mixture. In this experiment, methanol is distilled first because of the boiling point is lower than
water. Simple distillation can be used to separate component of a mixture that have a large
difference in their boiling points. If two components have a boiling point difference of less than
40-50°C, fractional distillation should be used in the distillation. In the fractional distillation part
of the experiment pure methanol and water were able to be collected. However, this is not the
case for simple distillation. Distillation is a very practical process and it has many real world
uses. Although we came across error while attempting this experiment, it did what was intended
to do. That goal was to teach how to purely separate the constituent parts of mixture.

REFERENCE

 https://www.slideshare.net/ZanyarNawzad/simple-distillation-86046465
 https://www.quora.com/Why-does-water-have-a-higher-boiling-point-than-methanol