Methanol and Acetone can be separated by: (a) Fractional Distillation, (b) Distillation, (c) Steam distillation, (d) Vacuum distillation

By BYJU'S Exam Prep

Updated on: September 25th, 2023

Methanol and Acetone can be separated by Fractional Distillation. Distillation using a fractional process is used to separate liquids with enough variance in their boiling points. At varying temperatures, liquids with various boiling points vaporize; the vapors are then cooled, and the resulting liquids are separated and collected.

Separation of Methanol and Acetone

Condensing the liquid and the distillate during the distillation process turns a liquid into a vapor. The method is used to remove non-volatile elements from a liquid. It can be used to divide the saltwater solution into salt and water.

Vacuum distillation: This method involves distilling a liquid much below its boiling point. It is very beneficial for liquids that break down close to their boiling points.

If the boiling points of two liquids differ, fractional distillation is used.
If the boiling points of the two liquids are almost identical, the distillation flask is fitted with a fractional column.
Fractional distillation can be used to separate mixtures of substances like benzene and toluene.
Methanol’s boiling point is 67.40 C, while acetone’s is 560 C, a significant difference in boiling temperatures.

Therefore, fractional distillation can be used to separate acetone and methanol.

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