Distillation

Distillation: extremely versatile method, used for extraction and purification processes, which consists in the combination of two extraction variables: pressure and temperature.

The distiller is a closed system and includes three different sections:

• a first, where there is a container with the drug and the solvent; it is heated until the solvent evaporates, which by chemical affinity carries the active principle with it, extracting it;
• a second, consisting of a condensation zone in which the temperature is significantly lower; consequently, the energy of the system is lowered and the evaporated active ingredients pass from the gaseous to the liquid state;
• a third section for collecting the fluid extract, called distillate.

This method exploits the different points of the state diagram of the categories to be extracted, playing on the temperatures of the evaporation points of the solvent or substance to be extracted.In countercurrent extraction, distillation is applied to evaporate only the extraction solvent, therefore the extract will remain in the first vessel; vice versa, it is also possible to reach the right conditions of pressure and temperature to evaporate only the substance to be extracted, so as to find the extraction solvent in the first container.

There are several variants of distillation:

• distillation by current of water vapor: this is not a real solvent extraction, because the principle "like dissolves like" is not applied; in fact, water is applied as the only solvent. In this case, the extractive variable is the temperature conducted by the water, which breaks down the plant systems in which the active ingredients are enclosed. To obtain a real distillate we will have to use an alcohol as a solvent.
• low pressure distillation: used to extract extremely thermolabile active ingredients.
• dry distillation: it is a distillation without solvent; it is implemented to obtain vegetable tar from the woods of conifers (mixture of phenolic molecules, which is presented in the form of a viscous and blackish mass with a strong aromatic odor, used to treat erythema and some itchy states).
• destructive distillation and molecular distillation: both without the aid of a solvent.

Other articles on "Distillation"

1. Extraction methods
2. Pharmacognosy
3. Extraction with supercritical fluids

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