Final answer:
The correct configuration for fractional distillation includes a round-bottomed flask, fractionating column, thermometer, air condenser, and a receiving flask. These components are assembled to separate mixtures based on different boiling points, with the fractionating column enhancing the separation efficiency.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct configuration for fractional distillation involves several pieces of apparatus that work together to separate mixtures based on differences in boiling points. This setup typically includes a round-bottomed flask containing the mixture to be separated, which is heated. Above this flask is a fractionating column, which consists of various plates or packing material to provide surface area for vapor to condense and revaporize, thereby enhancing the separation of components with different boiling points.
A thermometer is positioned at the top of the fractionating column to monitor the temperature, which is indicative of the boiling point of the vapors at that point in the column. The vapors pass from the fractionating column into an air condenser, where they are cooled and condense back into a liquid. The purified liquid is then collected in a receiving flask at the end of the condenser. This process utilizes differences in boiling points to achieve separation, with lower boiling point components being collected first.
The figure information suggests the operation of such an apparatus in the context of petroleum fractional distillation, where the process takes place on a significantly larger scale in distillation towers. However, the principles remain the same in the laboratory setup described above.