[tcmbrendan]

Hi guys,

I want to distill water via my distillation column.

I am using a hot water bath which i bring to a boil via a hot plate. Suspended in the water bath I have a 1000ml borosilicate flask filled with maybe 250ml tap water. The water is boiling in the hot water bath however the 250ml solution of water in the flask is flattening out at 64-66 C.

Obviously, the heat from the water bath is unable to make the 250ml solution boil because of some loss of energy, but where is this happening?

*When heating via a hot water bath do I need to insulate my column to distill water?

Would I be better off investing in a heating mantle since the hot water bath is not providing enough heat to
evaporate the water in the flask?



Thanks.

[Arkcon]

You're not going to distill much water by heating it with hot water.  Not all of the heat leaves the boiling water, and some heat is lost to evaporation.  Some stays in the flask, it has some thermal mass.  And some never lea ves the distilling water, and likewise its cooled by evaporation.  In fact, unless yhe enire rig is cool to the touch -- you have to know that's where the heat is being lost.

[tcmbrendan]

Would a heating mantle solve my problem?

[Arkcon]

That's how I do a distillation, yes.  If you're home, and not distilling something flammable, or around something flammable, you could use a flame, but will need a fiberglass and wire gauze to protect the flask.  Or a shallow pan filled with sand.  All of which waste heat, its just that now, you'll have it in abundance.

[magician4]

exchange your water  bath for an oil bath (common household oil will do: soy oil, corn oil, whatever)

apply like 120°C

have some aluminium foil wrapped around your column, so the heat loss there won't be too huge

distill*⁾

regards

Ingo


*⁾
don't forget to stir vigorously: esp. waterbased solutions else tend to show boiling retardation