water removal

Question

Azeotropic distillation uses an added component primarily to:

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1. **Definition**: An azeotrope is a liquid mixture that boils at a constant temperature and has the same composition in the liquid and vapor phases.
2. **The Problem**: Ethanol and water form an azeotrope at $95.6\%$ ethanol, meaning simple distillation cannot produce absolute ($100\%$) ethanol.
3. **Azeotropic Distillation**: An 'entrainer' ($e.g.,$ **Benzene**) is added.
4. **New Azeotrope**: The entrainer forms a new **ternary azeotrope** (benzene-water-ethanol) with a lower boiling point.
5. **Function**: This azeotrope distills off first, efficiently removing the water. The remaining benzene is then removed as a binary azeotrope, leaving behind absolute ethanol.

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water removal

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