First the steam distillation apparatus was constructed. In a 250mL round bottom flask, 20mL of water (H20) and turpentine were mixed. Turpentine was used so that alpha-pinene, one of its components could be extracted. Water was used in the mixture because it ensures a lower boiling point of turpentine. Combining the vapor pressure from the water and the turpentine lowers the boiling point. The only disadvantage to this procedure is that in the end, water will be distilled more in the distillate. The level of the 40mL of mixture was marked on the side of the flask with a permanent marker. This was done to make sure the mixture level was maintained throughout the experiment. Distilled water was put in the separatory funnel to replace the water that would be lost during distillation. A Bunsen burner was placed under the round bottom flask containing the mixture, and the flame was turned on. On the apparatus, there was a thermometer. The temperature was watched carefully throughout the experiment to ensure that the temperature in the flask did not exceed 100 degrees Celsius, which is the boiling point of water. .
Distilled water was continuously added from the separatory funnel into the round bottom flask over the flame, to keep the mixture in the flask over the flame at the originally marked (40mL mix) level. The flask was continuously heated until the distillate went from cloudy to clear. To see if the distillate was complete, a test tube was placed in place of where the Erlenmeyer flask was to catch the distillate. A sample was collected, and observed for clarity and when it was clear the experiment was finished. In the collecting Erlenmeyer flask, alpha-pinene and water were collected. An obvious separation of the two mixtures was observed; the two were not permeable. There was a yellowish liquid on top, and a clear liquid on the bottom. The liquids were separated by placing the total mixture in the separatory funnel (after disconnecting it and emptying it from apparatus) the clear and yellowish liquids were drained from the separatory funnel into two separate beakers.
