Fractional distillation is a process used to separate different components of a liquid mixture based on their boiling points. The mixture is heated in a fractionating column, which contains a series of trays or packing material. As the mixture is heated, the components with lower boiling points vaporize first and rise up the column, while the components with higher boiling points remain in liquid form and collect at the bottom of the column. The vaporized components condense back into liquid form at different heights in the column, allowing for the separation and collection of each component. This process is commonly used in the petroleum industry to separate crude oil into its various components, such as gasoline, diesel, and kerosene.
