Final answer:
In a simple distillation, you can determine the boiling points of the components as they vaporize and condense in order of increasing boiling points, with more volatile substances distilling over first.
Step-by-step explanation:
Yes, you are able to tell the boiling points of your components if you did a simple distillation. Simple distillation makes use of differences in volatility, which is a measure of how easily a substance is converted to a gas at a given temperature.
During distillation, the component with the lowest boiling point will vaporize first. As an example, during the distillation of a salt-water mixture, pure water (the more volatile component with a lower boiling point) collects in the receiving flask after condensation, while the salt remains in the distillation flask.
When separating a mixture of two or more liquids, such as crude oil or alcoholic spirits, the boiling points of the individual components dictate the order in which they are separated. The lightest components will distill over at the lowest temperatures, and as temperature increases, components with higher boiling points will distill over.