Distillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in boiling points. There are several types including simple, fractional, vacuum, steam, and destructive distillation. Simple distillation involves heating a mixture to boil off one component for collection and condensation. Fractional distillation uses a fractionating column for multiple vaporization and condensation steps to separate similar boiling point mixtures. Vacuum distillation uses reduced pressure to distill at lower temperatures. Steam distillation is used for heat-sensitive and immiscible mixtures. Destructive distillation breaks down organic matter through pyrolysis. Distillation has many applications in fields such as chemistry, oil refining, water purification, and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
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