Distillation Distillation relies on evaporation to purify water. Contaminated water is heated to form steam. Inorganic compounds and large non-volatile organic molecules do not evaporate with the water and are left behind. The steam then cools and condenses to form purified water. The boiling process also kills microorganisms such as bacteria and some viruses.
Distillation removes oxygen and some trace metals from water.
For this reason some people claim distilled water tastes flat. Distillation's effectiveness in removing organic compounds varies, depending on such chemical characteristics of the organic compound as solubility and boiling point. These harmful compounds will recontaminate the purified product if not removed prior to condensation. Figure 1 shows the parts and process of a distiller. Parts and process of a distiller.