What separates mixtures based on differences in boiling points?

Distillation is a process that effectively separates mixtures based on the differences in their boiling points. When a mixture is heated, the component with the lower boiling point converts to vapor first. This vapor is then collected and condensed back into a liquid form, allowing it to be separated from the remaining components in the mixture that have higher boiling points.

This technique is widely used in various applications, such as the production of distilled water and the separation of alcohol from fermentation mixtures. By utilizing the unique boiling points of different substances, distillation can achieve a high level of purity and effectiveness in separating the desired component from the mixture.

Other methods mentioned have their specific uses for separation but do not primarily rely on boiling points like distillation does. For example, filtration separates solids from liquids based on particle size, chromatography separates based on differences in interactions with a stationary phase, and evaporation is used to remove a solvent from a solution by turning it into vapor but does not specifically focus on boiling point differences for mixture separation.