Question

What is fractional distillation? with example.

Answer 1

Fractional distillation is a process by which components in a chemical mixture are separated into different parts (called fractions) according to their different boiling points. Fractional distillation is used to purify chemicals and also to separate mixtures to obtain their components.

For example, fractional distillation is used in oil refineries to separate crude oil into useful substances (or fractions) having different hydrocarbons of different boiling points. The crude oil fractions with higher boiling points: have more carbon atoms.