Azeotrope
Azeotrope
Azeotrope
Sepration process II
Definition
• An azeotrope or a constant boiling mixture is a mixture of two or more
liquids whose proportions cannot be altered by simple distillation.
Example :
Positive azeotrope is 95.63% ethanol and 4.37% water (by weight).Ethanol boils
at 78.4 °C, water boils at 100 °C, but the azeotrope boils at 78.2 °C, which is
lower than either of its constituents.
Indeed, 78.2 °C is the minimum temperature at which any ethanol/water solution
can boil at atmospheric pressure. In general, a positive azeotrope boils at a lower
temperature than any other ratio of its constituents. Positive azeotropes are also
called minimum boiling mixtures or pressure maximum azeotropes.
Continued
• An example of a negative azeotrope is hydrochloric acid at a concentration
of 20.2% and 79.8% water (by weight). Hydrogen chloride boils at −84 °C
and water at 100 °C, but the azeotrope boils at 110 °C, which is higher than
either of its constituents. The maximum temperature at which any
hydrochloric acid solution can boil is 110 °C. In general, a negative
azeotrope boils at a higher temperature than any other ratio of its
constituents. Negative azeotropes are also called maximum boiling mixtures
or pressure minimum azeotropes.
Homogeneous and Heterogeneous azeotropes