EN PL

Distillation with steam

Distillation is the physical process of heating a distilled liquid to boiling point, discharging the resulting vapor and condensing it again.
Steam distillation is based on Dalton's law which reads:

"The total vapor pressure over a solution of several liquids is equal to the sum of the partial pressures of its constituents."

Steam distillation, is a method of purifying solids and liquids (with high boiling points) that do not mix with water and volatile substances that do not mix with steam. An example of steam distillation, is the extraction of essential oils from plant materials.

A standard distillation set, consists of a round-bottom flask or a distillation flask fitted with a side tube), a thermometer, a distillation cooler and a receiver.

In the case of a small amount of substance, distillation is carried out through a drop catcher, in flasks to which an appropriate amount of aqueous solution is added, which is then subjected to intensive heating (to the required, for the specific substance to be distilled, temperature). If, on the other hand, a significant amount of material will be distilled, steam is supplied to the system from an external boiler in which the heated water is located.