Physical Property Chemistry Example 4
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Example 4
hardEthanol has a boiling point of and water boils at . Explain how this difference in physical properties can be used to separate a mixture of ethanol and water.
Solution
- 1 Since ethanol has a lower boiling point than water, heating the mixture will cause ethanol to vaporize first.
- 2 The technique of distillation uses this difference: heat the mixture, collect the ethanol vapor, and condense it back to liquid in a separate container.
- 3 The remaining liquid is enriched in water, while the collected distillate is enriched in ethanol.
Answer
Distillation exploits differences in boiling points (a physical property) to separate miscible liquids. This is a fundamental separation technique used in chemistry, the petroleum industry, and beverage production.
About Physical Property
A characteristic of matter that can be observed or measured without changing the substance's chemical identity, including properties such as color, density, melting point, boiling.
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