Distillation apparatus

Distillation is a process of separating the component substances from a liquid mixture by selective evaporation and condensation. A large variety of equipment is utilized to perform distillations in a laboratory setting. In older times, distillation apparatus was connected with rubber stoppers and glass tubes; however, in modern practice, ground glass joints are far more common due to their versatility and ease of use.

Types of Distillation

Simple Distillation

Simple distillation is a process in which vapors from the boiling flask are directly fed into the condenser. This process is primarily used to separate mixtures of liquids with significantly different boiling points.

Fractional Distillation

In fractional distillation, the vapors are fed through a fractionating column before entering the condenser. Cycles of vaporization and condensation within the column improves separation and allows liquids of much closer boiling points to be separated.

Vacuum Distillation

A vacuum distillation is any distillation conducted under reduced pressure. Reducing the pressure lowers the boiling points of the liquids in the mixture, allowing high-boiling mixtures to be easier to separate.

Flasks

Flasks are commonly used for both the boiling vessel and receiver. Several types of flasks are listed below:

Condensers

Condensers are used to convert gaseous vapor into liquid in a process called condensation.

Liebig

The Liebig condenser is the simplest type of water cooled condenser. It consists of a straight tube as the vapor path which is surrounded by an outer jacket for the coolant path.

Graham

The Graham condenser is a very highly efficient distillation condenser. The vapor path is a tightly coiled tube surrounded by a water jacket, so it acts like a very long Liebig condenser.

Friedrichs

The Friedrichs condenser is a complex type of condenser that is very efficient and can be used for both reflux and distillation. It consists of an internal cold finger that is filled with coolant that has a spiral path shaped into it which the vapor phase flows onto. Condensate flows down this spiral path.

Columns

Columns are used in fractional distillation to aid in the separation of mixtures of liquids with closer boiling points.

Adapters

Various distillation adapters are used to connect together the rest of the apparatus.