Question

Enumerate any two differences between simple distillation and fractional distillation.

Answer 1

Hint: We know that distillation refers to the specific boiling of a component in a liquid mixture which is then followed by condensation. It is a method of separation which can be used to either enhance a component’s composition in the mixture or to acquire pure components from a mixture.

Complete answer:
So, there are many types of distillation methods namely:
1. Simple distillation
2. Steam distillation
3. Fractional distillation
4. Vacuum distillation
5. Short path distillation
6. Air sensitive vacuum distillation
7. Zone distillation
The two differences between simple distillation and fractional distillation are:

Simple distillation	Fractional distillation
- Simple distillation is a process which is used to separate liquids with boiling points having a gap of around $50^\circ $ at least.- Every vaporization – condensation step is regarded as simple distillation.	- Fractional distillation is a method which is used to separate liquids with closer boiling points.- In fractional distillation, multiple simple distillation processes are carried out in one apparatus with small losses.

Additional information: The experimental setup required for simple distillation is very simple as it only requires two simple flasks and a condenser while fractional distillation requires a complex setup. It requires a complex apparatus with a fractional column.

Note: Distillation is used for many chemical processes such as refining of gasoline, bottled water, alcohols, kerosene and many more. fractional distillation on the other hand is used in oil refineries to separate crude oil into functional substances which have different hydrocarbons of different boiling points.