[raging_nucleus]

Long story short I have to use a fractional distillation curve to find the boiling points of 2 mixed liquids. I suspect one is pentane (bp 36.1) and the other is cyclohexane (bp 80.7). Only problem is that my graph has a bunch of fluctuations. This could be attributed to the fact that, despite heating slowly, I still managed to flood my tube. Why the liquid boiled violently at 50 degrees and did nothing at 36 is beyond me. Normally, you would read the two points where the graph levels off, but mine fluctuates. Would I just take an average of the values on the bottom? I have no idea how to deal with the top. It's just my luck that I can manage to screw following a lab manual's exact instructions.

Here's the graph:

[Charkol]

In the few distillations I have done, the boiling point temperature was lower due to about 5000ft in elevation.  Both of your temeratures seem to reflect a substance with a higher boiling point.

In my distillations, I didn't flood the fractional condenser tube, so I haven't a clue how that would affect the temperature reading.