In the set-up, what’s the purpose of the thermometer?

Where should the bulb of the thermometer

be and why?

The main purpose of the thermometer in the set-up is to determine the acetone and water's
boiling point and making sure that the process of distillation is not going too quickly. The
thermometer adaptor or thermometer bulb along with the thermometer must be connected to the
distilling head to monitor the temperature of the vapor. If the position of the thermometer is too
low, the boiling point will be too close and will read higher than the true vapor. If its position is
too high, the reading will be lower than the true temperature and will be out of the path.

The main purpose of the thermometer in the set-up is to determine the acetone and water's
boiling point and to make sure that the process of distillation is not going too quickly. To obtain
reliable data, the thermometer adaptor or thermometer bulb with the thermometer must be
connected to the distilling head so that the vapor of the heated liquid completely surrounds it. If
the position of the thermometer is too low, the boiling point will be too close and will read
higher than the true vapor. If its position is too high, the reading will be lower than the true
temperature and will be out of the path.

R.W.Randall Ltd.(2017, July 13).The Importance Of The Thermometer–Blue Bottle Gin

Distillation. Retrieved Oct 13, 2021, from Qpid, https://www.bluebottlegin.gg/thermometer-
blue-bottle-gin-distillation/

University of Colorado at Boulder, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. (n.d.). Retrieved

from https://orgchemboulder.com/Technique/Procedures/Distillation/Thermplacement.shtml