fractional distillation

American  

noun

Chemistry.

1. the separation of volatile components of different boiling points in a mixture by the gradual increase of temperature and the separate collection of each component.

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fractional distillation British  

noun

1. the process of separating the constituents of a liquid mixture by heating it and condensing separately the components according to their different boiling points

2. a distillation in which the vapour is brought into contact with a countercurrent of condensed liquid to increase the purity of the final products

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fractional distillation Scientific  

1. A process by which a chemical compound is separated into components by distillation. In fractional distillation the compound is heated and, as each of its constituent components comes to a boil, its vapors are separated and cooled, so it can be removed in its pure form. Fractional distillation is used to refine petroleum.

2. See also distillation

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Etymology

Origin of fractional distillation

First recorded in 1855–60

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fractional distillation

Jet fuel is essentially a highly refined form of kerosene with specialised additives, and is usually produced from fractional distillation of crude oil.

From BBC ● May 3, 2026

Nobody who bought Standard Oil stock could explain fractional distillation either.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 28, 2025

The scientist showed me round his lab, including a mini version of the huge fractional distillation columns that tower over oil refineries.

From BBC ● Dec. 27, 2023

The main source of these liquid alkane fuels is crude oil, a complex mixture that is separated by fractional distillation.

From Textbooks ● Feb. 14, 2019

Mond gas is produced in generators of the blowing or pressure type from bituminous coal, necessitating the employment of special purifiers and permitting the collection of the by-products of the fractional distillation of the coal.

From Gas-Engines and Producer-Gas Plants A Practice Treatise Setting Forth the Principles of Gas-Engines and Producer Design, the Selection and Installation of an Engine, Conditions of Perfect Operation, Producer-Gas Engines and Their Possibilities, the Care of Gas-Engines and Producer-Gas Plants, with a Chapter on Volatile Hydrocarbon and Oil Engines by R. E. Mathot

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