Abstract — This experiment was conducted to familiarize the students with the procedures regarding distillation—to be more precise, the separation of ethanol from an alcoholic beverage—using a distillation set-up consisting of boiling chips, a Bunsen burner, a condenser, a thermometer and several other materials. In the end, it was discovered that one may actually separate a homogeneous mixture, given that the components of said mixture differ in volatility and that they utilize a complete distillation set-up and follow laboratory safety rules and regulations. Keywords — Matter, homogeneous and hetereogeneous mixtures, distillation, volatility, boiling point I. INTRODUCTION There are typically two categories of matter, these are pure substances …show more content…
II. METHODOLOGY In order to perform this experiment, the students will need a distillation set-up with a connector receiver, an iron ring and stand, a Bunsen burner, a wire gauze, a 250mL round bottom flask, a graduated cylinder, a thermometer, one or two boiling chips, an alcoholic beverage, masking tape, an ice bath, a stirring rod, and, optionally, food coloring. It is imporatnt to avoid playing with the apparatus and equipment so as to avoid breakage and injuries, especially since fire is being dealt with in this experiment. After gathering all of the materials, the experiment can begin. Prepare the distillation set-up similarly to Figure 1[2] and make sure that all of the appropriate areas are secured together with masking tape. In the 250mL round bottom distillation flask, carefully pour in 25mL of the alcoholic bevarage and place in one or two pieces of boiling chips. Now, the students have the option of dyeing the beverage with a tiny drop of food coloring. Afterwards, have the flask sit on the wire guaze on the iron ring and stand and attach it to the distillation …show more content…
Thanks to the boiling chips, the heat is evenly distributed within the flask, which permits a more controlled boil and eliminates the possibility of the liquid in the flask bumping into the condenser[5]. The tedious distillation process is rather simple: the beverage evaporates in the distillation flask and, having no where else to go, enters the condensing tube, where it cools down and is converted back into liquid form. From there on, this liquid flows into the final container, a graduated cylinder [preferably in an ice bath]. The extracted distillate is otherwise known as ethanol, a clear, colorless, flammable liquid, produced through the process of glucose fermentation and frequently used as an intoxicating agent in liquors[6]. In relation to a previous experiment in which the students determined the boiling points of two liquids, it was deduced that the boiling point of [propyl and methyl] alcohol was estimated to be around 80oC. According to numerous sources, ethanol boils (and consequently evaporates) at around 78.5oC[7] a much lower temperature compared to the alcoholic beverage’s other ingredients—water, for example, boils at precisely 100oC. It is immensely possible that because of this, ethanol is isolated from the beverage sooner than said beverage’s other components. Perhaps, if the students worked within