Question

Is the simple distillation boiling point of a molecule greater than or less than the boiling point of that molecule under vacuum distillation?

1) Greater than
2) Less than
3) Cannot be determined

Answer 1

The boiling point of a molecule during simple distillation is greater than under vacuum distillation because lower pressure in vacuum distillation allows the liquid to boil at a lower temperature.

Step-by-step explanation:

The boiling point of a molecule during simple distillation is greater than the boiling point of that same molecule under vacuum distillation. Under vacuum distillation, the pressure is reduced, which allows the molecule to boil at a lower temperature than it would at atmospheric pressure. In simple distillation, the boiling occurs at atmospheric pressure (1 atm), where the boiling point is determined by the temperature at which the vapor pressure of the liquid equals the external pressure. Since vacuum distillation involves a lower pressure than atmospheric, achieving the vapor pressure required for a molecule to boil occurs at a lower temperature.