Question 12 — Why is distillation an effective - Questions at the end of the chapter - Chapter 5 - Exploring Mixtures and their Separation (Exploration)

Last updated at July 15, 2026 by

Why is distillation an effective method for separating a mixture of water and acetone?
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Acetone and water are miscible liquids with very different boiling points — acetone boils at about 56 °C and water at 100 °C. This large gap (well over 25 °C) lets acetone vaporise and be collected first, before water boils. So distillation cleanly separates them.

Acetone
Water
Boiling point ≈ 56 °C
Boiling point = 100 °C
Vaporises first on heating
Stays behind in the distillation flask
Difference = 100 − 56 = 44 °C
Well above the ≈25 °C that distillation needs
Acetone vapour goes to the condenser
⇒ distillation separates them cleanly
← Back to: 5.3.2 Distillation
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