Research question:
In a distillation lab, how do we calculate the number of moles of two pure liquid substances in the initial mixture, distillate samples, and the final mixture?
Distillation is a process widely used in chemical research and industrial production. If we need to purify a liquid or extract a liquid substance form another, distillation can be used. Distillation works because different liquids have different boiling points. However, when a mixture is distillated, the vapor does not consist of only one substance, and the ratio of substances in the vapor changes from time to time. For this reason, it is complicated to know about the purity of the mixture through and after distillation process. My research question seeks to find a way to solve the question by carrying out a distillation process on my own with a mixture of ethanol and water, which will be very helpful for the researchers and industries.
This experiment
…show more content…
The original ethanol/water solution is placed in the 1000-mL flask. Heat to the mixture is provided by a hot plate. A rubber stopper caps the flask. The stopper contains two small holes: one for a thermometer, and one for a small piece of copper tubing to which latex tubing may be attached. Another rubber stopper with a small piece of copper tubing is plugged into the top of the Graham condenser. The flask and condenser stoppers are connected with latex tubing. The water jacket surrounding the glass coil must be connected via latex tubing from the lower fitting on the condenser to a water source and another length of latex tubing should be attached to the upper fitting of the condenser with the other end of the tubing placed in a sink to drain. The role of the condenser is to extract enough heat from the vapor produced in the flask to condense back into a liquid phase. (The condensed liquid is referred to as distillate.) The condensed liquid empties into collection bottles at the bottom of the