Question

Explain how destructive distillation enhances the chemical activity of a substance.

Answer 1

• Heating a substance in absence of air due to which the bigger molecules are broken down into smaller ones is known as destructive distillation.
• Some substances that are formed by destructive distillation are wood charcoal, bone charcoal, etc.
• Impurities escape as gaseous products when a substance is heated in a limited supply of air [or in the absence of air].
• The substance that is left behind is pure and more porous than the original.
• The porous structure of wood increases the surface area available for reactions, Hence increasing its chemical activity.