Steam distillation

Steam distillation is predominantly used in the isolation of volatile organic compounds (especially natural products) which are thermally unstable. Steam distillation may offer an alternative to vacuum distillation. A typical setup is shown below.

Assembly

The notes below outline a typical steam-distillation setup. The exact setup will vary depending on the specifics of the steam distillation required.

1. Securely clamp the round bottomed flask containing a stirrer bar, the substance to be extracted and water.

2. Fit a distillation head to the flask.

3. Attach a condenser to the side arm of the distillation head and support the condenser with a clamp in the middle. The condenser should be attached to the distillation head using a Keck clip. The non-moving side of the clamp should be on the underneath of the condenser and then loosely tightened to support the apparatus.

4. Attach a receiver adapter to the cone of the condenser using a Keck clip to secure.

5. Attach the receiving flask to the receiver adapter using a Keck clip.

6. Fit the thermometer to the distillation head. This may be a Quickfit thermometer, or a thermometer adapter may be used.