SEPARATION AND

PURIFICATION OF
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS-
DISTILLATION

De Jesus, John Thronn A.

 OBJECTIVES
To be able to:

• Separate and purify organic compounds through

distillation
• Observe how the process of vapor turn to liquid
state
• Explain the completeness of a separation though its
physical properties
TYPES OF DISTILLATION
Simple distillation is the joint process of vaporization
and condensation. We use this method for the
purification of liquids which boil without
decomposition and contain non-volatile impurities.
We can also use this method for separating liquids
having sufficient difference in their boiling points.
We can use this process to separate a mixture of two
or more miscible liquids which have boiling points
close to each other. We carry out this process by using
fractionating columns. The fractionating column is a
special type of long glass tube that has obstructions to
the passage of the vapor upwards and that of liquid
downwards.
Steam distillation is used for the purification of mixtures
in which the components are temperature or heat
sensitive; for example, organic compounds.
In this process, steam is introduced to the apparatus
and the temperature of the compounds are
depressed, by vaporizing them at lower temperature.
This way, the temperature sensitive compounds are
separated before decomposition.
Vacuum distillation is a special method of separating
compounds at pressure lower than the standard
atmospheric pressure. Under this condition, the
compounds boil below their normal boiling
temperature.

Hence, vacuum distillation is best suited for separation

of compounds with higher boiling points (more than
392°F), which tend to decompose at their boiling
temperature.
 DATA & RESULTS
Thermometer Reading Volume of Distillate Physical Properties

(Boiling Point) Collected observed

100 °C 20 mL Colorless liquid

Distillate: Water
1. What is distillation?
• Distillation is a widely used method for separating
mixtures based on differences in the conditions
required to change the phase of components of
the mixture. To separate a mixture of liquids, the
liquid can be heated to force components, which
have different boiling points, into the gas phase. The
gas is then condensed back into liquid form and
collected.
2. Why is this method effective in separating acetone
from water?
• Distillation is done to separate and purify liquids with
a difference in their boiling points. Acetone has a
boiling point of 56°C while water is normally boiling
at 100°C. By their boiling points alone, we can
identify that in distillation, they will separate.
3. What tests and experimental results indicate that
acetone has been separated from water?
• The test for the completeness of separation can be
used to identify the separation of water and
acetone. Water is non-flammable and if lighted
with matchstick, will not produce any light or fire
compared to acetone which is highly flammable.
4. What are the limitations of this method of
separation?
• Using this method of separation, we are only limited
to separate and purify compounds with major
difference in their boiling points. If not, we cannot
easily identify if the separation have taken place
appropriately.
 CONCLUSION
There are different distillation process, from simple to
complex separation techniques. It has been a useful
method in separating compounds with varying
properties. In the world we have today, even in our
homes, distillation is playing an important role by just
simple separating impurities from the things that we
intake, and from that alone, we can say that
distillation is indeed important regardless of how
complex the technique may be, it has a great role to
play in the field of sciences and even in our lives. In
distillation, it is true that compounds can be separated
and purified by being able to observe how a vapor
turns back into its liquid state.
 REFERENCES:
• Curtis, D. (2017, January 25). Organic Chemistry Lab Report #1.
Retrieved from
https://www.studocu.com/en/document/university-of-south-
florida/organic-chemistry-laboratory-i/mandatory-
assignments/organic-chemistry-lab-report-1/1957347/view
• Helmenstine, A. M. (2019, January 2). Understand How
Distillation Works. Retrieved January 22, 2020, from
https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-distillation-601964
• Purification of Organic Compounds: Types, Methods,
Principles, Videos. (2019, November 27). Retrieved January 23,
2020, from https://www.toppr.com/guides/chemistry/organic-
chemistry/purification-of-organic-compounds/