Applications of Distillation
- Distillation is used in the production of distilled beverages with high alcohol content.
- It is an effective method of desalination.
- In the petroleum industry, distillation is used for oil stabilization and fractional distillation.
- Cryogenic distillation is employed to separate air into its components for industrial use.
- In the chemical industry, distillation is used to separate crude liquid products of chemical synthesis.
History of Distillation
- Distillation was practiced in the ancient Near East as early as 3000 BCE.
- Aristotle observed that evaporated seawater condenses into freshwater.
- Distillation was practiced in ancient India and China during the first to fifth centuries CE.
- Evidence of distillation has been found related to alchemists in Alexandria in the first century CE.
- Distilled water has been in use since at least 200 CE.
Distillation in the Islamic Golden Age
- Medieval Muslim chemists such as Jābir ibn Ḥayyān and Abū Bakr al-Rāzī experimented extensively with distillation.
- The distillation of wine was described in Arabic works attributed to al-Kindī and al-Fārābī.
- Recipes for producing ethanol through distillation appeared in Latin works in the 12th century.
- Taddeo Alderotti described a method for concentrating alcohol through repeated distillation.
- Fractional distillation played an important role in the works attributed to Jābir.
Distillation in Ancient China
- The distillation of beverages began in the Southern Song and Jin dynasties.
- Archaeological evidence of distillation has been found in China dating back to the 12th century.
- Distilled beverages were common during the Yuan dynasty.
- Distillation played a significant role in Chinese culture and history.
- The distillation of alcohol has a long tradition in ancient China.
Modern Era of Distillation
- In 1500, Hieronymus Brunschwig published the first book solely dedicated to distillation.
- John French published the first major English compendium on distillation in 1651.
- Distillation evolved from alchemy into the science of chemistry.
- Vessels called retorts became commonly used for distillation.
- Distillation is still widely practiced today in various industries.
Distillation Data Sources
| Reference | URL |
|---|---|
| Glossary | https://www.alternix.com/blogs/glossary-of-terms/distillation |
| Wikipedia | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distillation |
| Wikidata | https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q101017 |
| Knowledge Graph | https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/029r1 |
