Underlined words are hot links to graphics and animations.
Click once on an underlined word to see an illustration or download a movie file. This animation illustrates the separation of a mixture of two liquids by fractional distillation. The distillation flask is charged with the mixture of liquids and a couple of boiling chips. After reattaching the flask, the liquid is heated to its boiling point to cause distillation. As the liquid travels up the fractionating column, there is constant contact of the vapor and condensed liquid flowing back down the column setting up equilibration all along the column.