Distillation Setup Lab
Assemble a full distillation apparatus, fix thermometer and cooling-water mistakes, heat carefully, and read the boiling-point plateau as you separate two liquids.
About the Distillation Setup Lab
Free virtual distillation lab with a full apparatus: flask, thermometer, condenser and receiver. Check the thermometer position and cooling-water direction, control the heat, watch the boiling-point plateau on live graphs, see a molecular-level view, and try the Unknown Mixture challenge. Built for chemistry labs, the distillation setup lab runs instantly in your browser: change a setting or drag an object and the result updates at once, so you learn by trying things out rather than only reading about them.
Assemble a full distillation apparatus, fix thermometer and cooling-water mistakes, heat carefully, and read the boiling-point plateau as you separate two liquids. Use it to explore chemistry labs ideas at your own pace, then check what you found against the key ideas further down this page.
How to use the Distillation Setup Lab
- Use the controls to change Mixture in the flask, Starting fraction of the lower-boiling liquid, Heating power. The simulation reacts instantly.
- Pick an option such as Learn, Practice, Experiment, Challenge to switch modes or load an example.
- Where you see a glowing handle, object, weight or atom, drag it with your mouse or finger. Everything responds in real time.
- Watch the readouts and graphs update as you experiment, and compare what you see with the key ideas below.
Things to try
- Heat a 40% ethanol mixture slowly and watch the temperature plateau.
- Deliberately misplace the thermometer and see the warning.
- Heat too hard and see the bumping advisory.
- Compare the three graphs for the same run.
- Try the Unknown Mixture challenge in Challenge mode.
Key ideas you can learn
- The liquid with the lower boiling point vaporises first.
- The vapour is cooled in the condenser and collected as distillate.
- The thermometer stays near the boiling point of the component that is currently boiling — but only if its bulb sits at the vapour path, not in the liquid.
- Cooling water should run counter-current to the vapour for the most effective condensing.
- Heating too hard causes bumping and ruins the separation; heating too gently means nothing happens.
Where this is used in the real world
Distillation produces drinking water, fuels, spirits and perfumes, and separates chemicals in industry.
Who is this simulation for?
Students preparing for practical exams and teachers who want a virtual lab. You can repeat the experiment without chemicals, waste or safety risks.
For teachers: project it on the board, let students predict what will happen, then run it together. For students: change one thing at a time and write down what changes.
Frequently asked questions
How does distillation separate two liquids?
By heating the mixture until the lower-boiling liquid turns to vapour, then cooling that vapour back to a liquid in a separate container.
What is the difference between simple and fractional distillation?
Fractional distillation adds a column that repeatedly condenses and re-evaporates, so liquids with close boiling points can be separated better.
Why does the thermometer position matter?
The thermometer bulb must sit where vapour is leaving for the condenser, not in the boiling liquid, or it will read a misleading temperature instead of the true vapour (boiling) point.
Is the Distillation Setup Lab free to use?
Yes. It is completely free, with no signup, no download and no ads inside the simulation. It runs in your web browser.
Does the Distillation Setup Lab work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. It uses touch as well as the mouse, so you can drag objects with your finger. A larger screen makes the controls easier to see.