Final answer:
The boiling point of a racemic mixture is the same as that of the pure enantiomers because enantiomers have the same physical properties and a racemic mixture contains equal amounts of both enantiomers.
Step-by-step explanation:
The boiling point of a racemic mixture is typically the same as that of its pure enantiomers because enantiomers have identical physical properties, such as melting point, boiling point, and density. The differences between enantiomers are observed in their interaction with other chiral molecules or objects, such as their ability to rotate plane-polarized light in opposite directions. Since a racemic mixture contains equal amounts of left- and right-handed enantiomers, which cancel each other's optical activity out, the physical properties, including the boiling point, remain unaffected compared to the pure enantiomers. Therefore, a racemic mixture has the same boiling point as either of the pure enantiomers.