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Question
Why is distillation an effective method for separating a mixture of water and acetone?
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Answer
For three reasons — they are miscible, their boiling points are 44 °C apart, and that gap lets acetone vaporise cleanly on its own.
Explanation
- One — the two are miscible, so a separating funnel is useless here.
- Two — acetone boils at about 56 °C and water at 100 °C, a difference of 44 °C, comfortably more than the 25 °C that simple distillation needs.
- Three — with a gap that large, the acetone is fully vaporised before any significant amount of water vapour forms. Cooling that vapour in the condenser gives pure acetone, and the water stays behind in the flask.
Miscible rules out the funnel; a 44 °C gap makes distillation ideal.
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