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Difficulty: EasySimple and Fractional Distillation

A miscible liquid mixture contains acetone (boiling point 56∘C56^\circ\text{C}), ethanol (boiling point 78∘C78^\circ\text{C}), and water (boiling point 100∘C100^\circ\text{C}). Arrange these components in the correct order in which they will vaporize and be collected as distillates during fractional distillation, from first to last.

  1. 1Acetone (boiling point 56∘C56^\circ\text{C})
  2. 2Ethanol (boiling point 78∘C78^\circ\text{C})
  3. 3Water (boiling point 100∘C100^\circ\text{C})

Answer

The correct sequence of distillate collection from first to last is Acetone (56∘C56^\circ\text{C}), followed by Ethanol (78∘C78^\circ\text{C}), and finally Water (100∘C100^\circ\text{C}).
During fractional distillation, miscible liquids separate according to their boiling points. The substance with the lowest boiling point (Acetone at 56∘C56^\circ\text{C}) is the most volatile and vaporizes first. As the heating continues and the column temperature rises, the liquid with the next lowest boiling point (Ethanol at 78∘C78^\circ\text{C}) distills over, leaving the liquid with the highest boiling point (Water at 100∘C100^\circ\text{C}) to distill last.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Compare the boiling points of the three components in the miscible liquid mixture.
Acetone (56∘C56^\circ\text{C}) < Ethanol (78∘C78^\circ\text{C}) < Water (100∘C100^\circ\text{C}).
Components with lower boiling points require less energy to vaporize and have higher vapor pressures at a given temperature.
2
Determine the order of vaporization and distillate collection.
First distillate: Acetone; Second distillate: Ethanol; Final distillate: Water.
In fractional distillation, the component with the lowest boiling point vaporizes first and passes through the fractionating column first to be condensed and collected.

Key Concept

Vaporization sequence based on boiling points during fractional distillation
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Topics

Simple and Fractional Distillation

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