According to the Fenske equation, what will be the minimum number of
plates required in a distillation column to separate an equimolar binary
mixture of components A and B into an overhead fraction containing 99
mol% A and a bottom fraction containing 98 mol% B ? Assume that
relative volatility (αAB = 2) does not change appreciably in the column.
(A) 5
(B) 9
(C) 12
(D) 28