Which principle allows components of a liquid mixture to be separated by distillation?

• A. Differences in boiling points of the components
• B. Differences in solubility of the components
• C. Differences in density of the components
• D. Differences in magnetic properties of the components

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that distillation is a separation technique used to separate components of a liquid mixture based on their physical properties.
2. Recall that during distillation, the mixture is heated until one component vaporizes, then the vapor is condensed back into liquid form and collected separately.
3. Identify the key property that allows one component to vaporize before the others, which is the boiling point of each component.
4. Recognize that components with different boiling points will vaporize at different temperatures, enabling their separation by controlling the temperature.
5. Conclude that the principle behind distillation is the differences in boiling points of the components in the mixture.