Continuous Distillation Question Since isopropanol is hygroscopic, it attracts m

Question

Continuous Distillation Question

Since isopropanol is hygroscopic, it attracts moisture from the atmosphere, which leads to an impurity (water) in the system. During your experiments you will observe that, even though concentration of water in the reboiler is negligible, it cannot be neglected at the top stages of the column. Explain why water rises to the top of the column despite the fact that its boiling point is higher than that of isopropanol and is about the same as that of 2-butanol.

I think this is because we are not achieveing total reflux but can someone please clarify this?

Explanation / Answer

we use reflux at the top of the column. while water condenses at hiegher temperature than iso propanol. when we condense the reflux in the condenser. first water will condense then isopropanol. density of water (1000 kg/m3)is also higher than isopropanol (786 kg/m3). so it will reflux back first and accumulate on the top trays. As the water-isopropanol mixure makes azeotrop so its become difficult to seperate them by means stages.

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