Distillation is a process used to separate the components of a liquid mixture based on their different boiling points/05%3A_Distillation). It is a physical separation process, not a chemical reaction. The process involves heating a liquid mixture in a still or retort, which causes the most volatile or lowest boiling component to vaporize first. The vapors are then condensed back into liquid form and collected in a separate container, known as the distillate/05%3A_Distillation).

There are different types of distillation, including simple distillation and fractional distillation. Simple distillation is used when the components of the mixture have widely different boiling points (greater than a 100 °C difference in boiling points) /05%3A_Distillation). Fractional distillation is used when the boiling points of the components are too close, and it involves the use of a fractionating column to allow for multiple cycles of evaporation and condensation/05%3A_Distillation).

Distillation has many applications, including the separation of alcoholic liquors from fermented materials, the separation of gasoline, kerosene, and lubricating oil from crude oil, and the purification of liquid products obtained from chemical synthesis. It is also used in the desalination of seawater and the separation of air into nitrogen, oxygen, and argon.