Question

Why don't we distill all of the liquid in the reaction flask?

a) To waste the chemicals
b) To increase the reaction rate
c) To prevent the flask from breaking
d) To collect the desired product

Answer 1

We don't distill all of the liquid in a reaction flask to ensure we collect the maximum amount of the desired product without the risk of losing some product or breaking the flask due to overheating.

Step-by-step explanation:

The reason we do not distill all of the liquid in the reaction flask is to collect the desired product. During a distillation process, if you were to distill all the liquid, you might lose some of the desired product as it may escape through the hole or not condense properly, resulting in a decrease in yield. Moreover, distilling to dryness could pose a risk of overheating and potentially breaking the flask. Chemists use distillation not only to separate mixtures but to carefully control the isolation of products. This is in line with the goal of chemists to improve processes and increase products' yield without wasting chemicals or incurring unnecessary risks.