Chemistry · Purification: Crystallization, sublimation, distillation, differential extraction and chromatography principles and their applications

The fragrance of the flower is due to the presence of some steam volatile organi

The fragrance of the flower is due to the presence of some steam volatile organic compounds called essential oils. These are generally insoluble in water at room temperature but are miscible with water vapour in the vapour phase. A suitable method for the extraction of these oil from the flower is:

  • A. distillation
  • B. crystallisation
  • C. distillation with reduced pressure
  • D. steam distillation

Step-by-step solution

Essential oils are steam volatile and immiscible with water at room temperature but form a mixture with water vapour. Steam distillation allows the essential oils to vaporize at lower temperatures without decomposition, and then the oil and water are condensed and separated.
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