is distillation chemical or physical

Best answer

Physical

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Distillation is an example of physical change. Physical changes are often changes of state: solid to liquid, fusion; liquid to gas, vaporization; gas to solid, deposition. No chemical bonds are disrupted in this process, except the weak (er) dispersion forces between molecules.

The process of distillation exploits the difference in the boiling points of the components in the liquid mixture by forcing one of them into a gaseous state. It is important to note that distillation is not a chemical reaction but it can be considered as a physical separation process.

Fractional distillation is often used to separate mixtures of liquids that have similar boiling points. It involves several vaporization-condensation steps (which takes place in a fractioning column). This process is also known as rectification.

Repeating the process on the collected liquid to improve the purity of the product is called double distillation. Although the term is most commonly applied to liquids, the reverse process can be used to separate gases by liquefying components using changes in temperature and/or pressure. A plant that performs distillation is called a distillery.