:Steam Distillation( immiscible liquids):
• In pair of immiscible liquids , each liquid exerts its own vapour pressure & neither liquid has any appreciable effect on the vapour pressure of the other.
• The vapour pressure of the mixture at given temperature is equal to the sum of the vapour pressure of two pure components at that temp.
• A mixture of immiscible liquids begins to boil, when sum of their vapour pressure is equal to atmospheric Pressure.
• Thus in case of water & liquid which boils at much higher temp. than water, the mixture boils below the boiling point of pure water
• For eg. Boiling point of turpentine is about 160 ºc, but when mixed with water & heated, the mixture boils at about95.5 °c.
• At this temp. 95.5 ° c, the vapour pressure of water is 647mm & that of turpentine is 113mm of mercury, the sum is 647 + 113 = 760 mm which is equal to normal atmospheric pressure
• From this, it will be seen that a high boiling substance may be distilled with water at temp. much below its boiling point.
• For substances which are insoluble in water & are not decomposed by water , this provides an alternative to distillation under reduced pressure