Difference between fractional distillation and distillation
1. Simple distillation is the method used to separate substances in mixtures with significantly different boiling points, while fractional distillation is used for mixtures containing chemicals with boiling points close to each other.
2. Simple distillation will only have one distillation (vaporization-condensation) cycle in the whole process, while the fractional cycle will have at least two cycles.
3. Fractional distillation will use additional equipment called the ‘fractionating column’, while the simple distillation will not need that equipment.
4. Simple distillation is often used to separate the liquid substance from the solid substance. Doing such separation with fractional distillation is not sensible.