What is the difference between Evaporation and Distillation? - ProProfs Discuss
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What is the difference between Evaporation and Distillation?

Asked by Madeline , Last updated: Apr 24, 2024

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8 Answers

Barry Mclean

Barry Mclean

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Barry Mclean
Barry Mclean, Sales Manager, MBA, Ewa

Answered Feb 19, 2021

Evaporation and distillation are methods use to change the state of matter. The main difference between evaporation and distillation is that evaporation changes the state of matter, while distillation is a process of separation. Evaporation is the method where heat is used to turn liquid into gas, while distillation is a process of producing liquid by using heating the liquid to acquire gas.

Evaporation takes a lot of time because it is a slow, gradual process, while distillation is quick and rapid. Evaporation can occur during distillation, while distillation cannot occur during evaporation because evaporation is a natural process, while distillation is a process done by external forces.

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F. Hope

F. Hope

F. Hope
F. Hope

Answered Feb 02, 2021

Evaporation and distillation are known to be two different processes that may change the state of matter. For evaporation, it would usually cause the liquid to start going upwards. It will leave behind some solid particles if in case there is a need to separate them.

Distillation is known to be a process of separation which means that if in case you would need to separate different types of matter that are in the same state, this is one of the best processes to use. The vaporization in evaporation will occur below the boiling point. The vaporization when you are undergoing the process of evaporation will happen exactly at the boiling point.

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J. Harty

J. Harty

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J. Harty
J. Harty, Writer, M.A, Chula Vista

Answered Jan 27, 2021

Evaporation and distillation are used for various reasons. There are quite a lot of difference between them.
Evaporation involves a change in the state of matter. Evaporation is a natural process.

Evaporation is a process where liquid changes it states into gas. Factors that affect evaporation include pressure, temperature, and surface area etc.

During the process of distillation, evaporation can happen. Also, during evaporation, the liquid vaporizes below its boiling point.

Distillation is a method used to separate compounds from mixtures. Distillation is based on the difference of boiling points of the different components. The process of distillation is rapid. With the use of distillation, liquid can be separated or purified. Lastly, distillation cannot take place within the process of evaporation.

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Leo Samuels

Leo Samuels

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Leo Samuels
Leo Samuels, Content Writer, PG, California

Answered Jan 22, 2021

Evaporation and distillation are different words with a different meanings. Evaporation is a process that involves a change in the state of matter, while distillation is used for separation. These two techniques are used for various purposes. Evaporation has various ways of changing the state of matter. An example is a vaporization, which occurs below boiling point.

Vaporization is also an example of a way of separation. At distillation, vaporization occurs at boiling point. Evaporation occurs slowly on the surface of the liquid, while distillation occurs quickly and doesn’t happen on the surface of the liquid. Evaporation, unlike distillation, is not a separation method. Distillation form liquid bubbles at boiling point. Distillation is used for the separation and purification of liquid.

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A. Samuel

A. Samuel

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A. Samuel
A. Samuel, Content Manager, Masters in Marketing and accounting, Florida

Answered Jan 20, 2021

Evaporation and distillation are two processed that involve liquids. In the process of evaporation, the liquid is taken and transformed into a gas. This happens during a time of heat. Distillation takes the gas from the liquid. This process is done by heating the liquid and condensing it.

A key difference between them is in regards to how they occur on the surface. Evaporation is a process that only occurs on the surface. Distillation differs because it can occur on or off the surface. Another difference between them is when the liquid vaporizes. In evaporation, the liquid vaporizes below boiling point. In distillation, the liquid vaporizes right at boiling point.

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Isabel Mathew

Isabel Mathew

Coding is my forte plus writing and sharing my experiences online is one of my favorite hobbies.

Isabel Mathew
Isabel Mathew, Software engineer, BS(Bachelor of Science), Austin,Texas

Answered Jan 19, 2021

Evaporation is the process of transforming a liquid into the vapor stage. The word evaporation is employed in situations when the evaporation occurs from the surface of the fluid. Liquid vaporization can also occur at the boiling point, where evaporation occurs from a whole liquid mass.

Vaporization can be shaped by the concentration of other substances in the air, the temperature of the substance density, flow, or air level. On the other hand, distillation is a seperation method employed to separate compounds from a mixture.

It is established by the boiling points of the components in the mix. When a mixture has different boiling points, they evaporate at various times when it is heating. This rule is used in the distillation process. It is a physical separation process rather than a chemical reaction.

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R. Barnes

R. Barnes

Always excited to learn and talk about new topics

R. Barnes
R. Barnes, Analyst, PhD, Clinton

Answered Jan 14, 2021

A lot of people are aware that evaporation and distillation are two different methods that some states of matter may undergo. When you say evaporation, this happens when the state of matter changes.

When you say distillation, this is the process by which different components of the solution may separate from each other. With evaporation, the vapor will start to rise up when the solution reaches below the boiling point but for distillation, the separation will start to occur once the boiling point is reached.

Do remember that evaporation is considered to be a naturally occurring process while distillation is not. There are different phase changes that may occur during distillation that will not be experienced when matter undergoes evaporation.

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W. Kaye

W. Kaye

Here to answer and learn

W. Kaye
W. Kaye, Ex-Marine, Post Graduate, Chapel Hill

Answered Jan 12, 2021

Evaporation is a naturally occurring process that changes liquids into gases without necessarily boiling the liquids. What usually causes evaporation is heat. Studies have shown that the molecules of liquids are joined by bonds that can easily loosen up by the application of heat. Once the heat is applied, these bonds begin to break, leaving the molecules in gaseous form.

The process of evaporation usually starts from the surface of any liquid. This is because the molecules at the surface can easily absorb the heat energy coming from the atmosphere. On the other hand, distillation is not a process that occurs naturally. This process is used to separate liquids from other liquids.

This is possible due to the varied boiling points of different liquids present in a mixture. These liquids are separated once their boiling points are reached. When this happens, they begin to vaporize. However, the use of a condenser will help turn the vapors back to liquid.

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