# A student uses simple distillation to separate ethanol from a mixture of ethanol and water. Explain why simple distillation is able to separate these two liquids, and describe what happens to the mixture during the process.

> WJEC A-Level Chemistry (Wales) — 1.5 Energetics · Explain · 5 marks

## Mark scheme (5 marks)

1. Ethanol and water have different boiling points
2. When heated, ethanol (the liquid with the lower boiling point) evaporates / turns to vapour first
3. The ethanol vapour moves away from the solution / travels into the condenser
4. The vapour is cooled / condensed and collected as a liquid
5. The remaining solution becomes more concentrated in water / the amount of ethanol in the flask decreases as distillation continues

## Key terms

- [simple distillation](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/simple-distillation)

## Related

- [Revision notes for WJEC A-Level Chemistry (Wales)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/learn)
- [How to answer "Explain" questions](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/tools/command-word-cheatsheet)
- [Practice this with AI marking (free)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/start)

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Source: [GradeNine](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/q/a-student-uses-simple-distillation-to-8031020a) · Published by Druglandscape Ltd.