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Specialty Chemistry Forums => Citizen Chemist => Topic started by: albgk on June 05, 2009, 11:58:34 PM

Title: Fractional distillation
Post by: albgk on June 05, 2009, 11:58:34 PM

Hi
Im a fairly new at home chemisty and Im planning on making Nitric Acid and the process that seems the best for me creates dilute Nitric Acid. The process for distilling it (as many of you know) is fractional distillation. The process uses a water condenser, and all the videos i can find about fractional distillation do not explain the water condenser. So basically what im asking is, how do you use a water condenser and what do you need to make it work?

thanks
   _albgk

Title: Re: Fractional distillation
Post by: macman104 on June 06, 2009, 03:42:58 AM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fractional_distillation_lab_apparatus.svg

In this image, the condenser is a glass piece that has an outer jacket that is isolated from the inner part.  The inner jacket is open at the top and bottom, and allows for vapors to travel through it.  As the vapors travel through the condenser, the water that is circulating in the outer jacket absorbs heat from the vapors and cools them back into a liquid to be collected.

Title: Re: Fractional distillation
Post by: albgk on June 06, 2009, 11:30:33 AM

Hey thanks that helped a lot