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.
British Dictionary definitions for fractional distillation
fractional distillation
noun
the process of separating the constituents of a liquid mixture by heating it and condensing separately the components according to their different boiling points
a distillation in which the vapour is brought into contact with a countercurrent of condensed liquid to increase the purity of the final products
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. See also distillation.
