Steam Distillation
Steam distillation is used for purification of:
Select the correct option:
Solution
Heat-sensitive compounds immiscible with water
Steam Distillation is a technique used for substances that are steam volatile and immiscible with water.
- Mechanism: The mixture (water + substance) boils when the sum of their individual vapor pressures (P=Pwater+Pcompound) equals the atmospheric pressure.
- Advantage: Since P reaches atmospheric pressure before Pwater does (i.e., before 100∘C), the substance distills at a temperature lower than its normal boiling point. This prevents the thermal decomposition of heat-sensitive compounds like Aniline or Essential oils.
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About This Question
- Subject
- chemistry
- Chapter
- purification and characterisation of organic compounds
- Topic
- steam distillation
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Year
- 2025
Solution
Correct Answer:
Heat-sensitive compounds immiscible with water
Steam Distillation is a technique used for substances that are steam volatile and immiscible with water.
- Mechanism: The mixture (water + substance) boils when the sum of their individual vapor pressures (P=Pwater+Pcompound) equals the atmospheric pressure.
- Advantage: Since P reaches atmospheric pressure before Pwater does (i.e., before 100∘C), the substance distills at a temperature lower than its normal boiling point. This prevents the thermal decomposition of heat-sensitive compounds like Aniline or Essential oils.
This easy difficulty chemistry question is from the chapter purification and characterisation of organic compounds, covering the topic of steam distillation. It appeared in the 2025 exam.
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