Final answer:
To separate water/cyclohexene from a fractionating column, allow the system to cool, then carefully reheat to selectively vaporize and remove each component based on their different boiling points, possibly employing additional methods if direct distillation proves challenging due to similar boiling points or azeotropes.
Step-by-step explanation:
To separate water/cyclohexene that is stuck in the fractionating column, one would typically allow the column to cool down first, and then proceed with dismantling the apparatus if required. Since water and cyclohexene have different boiling points, the key to separating them is based on the process of fractional distillation. After full column cooling, you'd restart the heating process but now with careful control, slowly increasing temperature to reach the boiling point of the less volatile component (in this case, water) so it can be vaporized and removed before the compound with the higher boiling point, which would remain in the column.
Additionally, if this approach is inadequate due to similar boiling points or azeotropic behavior, alternative separation methods such as addition of a separating agent or pressure variation might be employed. Techniques like reverse phase HPLC can also be used for separating compounds with very similar structures as they rely on differences in hydrophobic interactions with the stationary phase. In all cases, understanding the specific properties of the substances involved, such as boiling points and phase behaviors, is crucial for successful separation.