Abstract:

The devil is in the details. Although atmospheric distillation is a basic purification technique in organic chemistry, a literature search on the subject revealed that many practical details of the process are not explained in depth, whether in textbooks or articles. As a result, many students and even some teachers harbor misconceptions about distillation techniques. Based on knowledge acquired from years of practical experience in organic synthesis, this paper presents these missing details as well as common mistakes encountered throughout the distillation process, from the setup and use of the lab equipment to the distillation itself. It is hoped that this paper will facilitate fruitful discussions with peers and help students master distillation in the lab.

Key words: Atmospheric distillation, Basic operation, Teaching