Final answer:
Water forms during the distillation of a cyclohexanol/phosphoric acid solution through acidic hydrolysis and dehydration reaction, catalyzed by the acid, leading to the evaporation and subsequent condensation of water as it is the more volatile component.
Step-by-step explanation:
Water forms during the distillation of a cyclohexanol/phosphoric acid solution due to a reaction known as acidic hydrolysis. Here, the water molecule (HOH) splits the chemical bonds involving phosphoric acid and cyclohexanol. The dehydration reaction, often catalyzed by phosphoric acid, generates water as one of the products. Also, distillation allows the separation of water from other components because of its lower boiling point compared to other reaction products.
The process involves evaporating the water, which is the more volatile component, and then condensing it back to a liquid state. This happens because water has a higher tendency to enter a vapor phase compared to cyclohexanol in the presence of phosphoric acid. During the distillation, water vapor is enriched as it boils off and is collected upon condensation, thus resulting in the formation of water.
It is also worth noting that when large quantities of ethanol are synthesized, an addition reaction of water with ethylene occurs using an acid as a catalyst. This further emphasizes the reactivity of water in the presence of catalysts to yield new products such as ethanol or, in the case of cyclohexanol, to undergo dehydration to form water.