Final answer:
A perfectly conducted distillation plotted as volume vs. temperature would show plateaus at the boiling points of each pure component. Fractional distillation is closer to ideal distillation due to its fractionating column, which allows for better separation and higher purity of components.
Step-by-step explanation:
If you conducted a perfect distillation and plotted volume versus temperature, you would expect to see a graph where the temperature remains constant as you collect each component of the mixture, with a sharp increase in temperature as you switch from one pure component to the next. During the collection of a single component, the graph would show a plateau, indicating the boiling point of that pure substance. When distilling a mixture of liquids A and B, with A being the more volatile (lower boiling point) and B less volatile, you would first see the boiling point of A (constant temperature), then a sharp increase as A is depleted and B starts to distill. This sequence would continue if there were more than two components.
A fractional distillation apparatus is most likely to perform a distillation most like an ideal distillation because it includes a fractionating column which increases the efficiency of the separation by allowing a series of condensed and re-vaporized cycles as the mixture ascends the column. This results in a higher purity of the separated components when compared to a simple distillation, which is better for mixtures with boiling points that are close together and when high purity is required.