Boiling chip - wikipedia Boiling chip Boiling chips A boiling chip, boiling stone, or anti-bumping granule is a tiny, unevenly shaped piece of substance added to liquids to make them boil more calmly. Boiling chips are frequently employed in distillation and heating. When a liquid becomes superheated, a particle of dust or a stirring rod can cause flash boiling. This very rapid boiling can be extremely violent and cause reagents to splatter, possibly causing severe burns, ruining experiments, and damaging equipment. Boiling chips work by providing nucleation sites so the liquid boils smoothly without becoming superheated or bumping. Use Boiling chips should not be added to liquid that is already near its boiling point, as this could also induce flash boiling. The structure of a boiling chip traps liquid while in use, meaning that they can not be re-used in laboratory setups. They also do n't work well under vacuum ; if a solution is boiling under vacuum, it 's best to constantly stir it instead. Materials Boiling chips are typically made of a porous material, such as alumina, calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, porcelain or carbon, and often have a nonreactive coating of PTFE. This ensures that the boiling chips will provide effective nucleation sites, yet are chemically inert. In less demanding situations, like school laboratories, pieces of broken porcelainware or glassware are often used. References Jump up ^ `` Boiling Points ''. Heartmagic.com. Retrieved 2011 - 11 - 21. Jump up ^ `` Boiling chips ''. Scribd.com. Retrieved 2011 - 11 - 21. Jump up ^ `` What Is The Use Of Boiling Chips In The Distillation Process ? ''. Blurtit.com. Retrieved 2011 - 11 - 21. Jump up ^ `` 3 Limitations of Using Boiling Chips in Superheated Fluids ''. LabManager. Jump up ^ `` Boiling Chips ''. CU Boulder. Jump up ^ `` Boiling Chips -- Boiling Stones ''. Brinstrument.com. Retrieved 2011 - 11 - 21. Jump up ^ `` Boiling Chips and Purity ''. Newton.dep.anl.gov. Retrieved 2011 - 11 - 21. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Boiling_chip&oldid=829335192 '' Categories : Laboratory equipment Phase transitions Talk About Wikipedia Čeština Ελληνικά 한국어 עברית 日本 語 Polski Edit links This page was last edited on 8 March 2018, at 00 : 31. About Wikipedia

Question: why is it necessary to add a boiling chips during distillation
Answer: so the liquid boils smoothly without becoming superheated or bumping