Simple distillation is a method of separating two or more components that had large difference in their boiling points.  Simple distillation can for example always be used to separate a liquid from a non-volatile (e.g., ionic) component or impurity.  In our lab, we will separate water from sodium chloride (be sure to look up their boiling points).  The water is boiled in the "still pot", the vapors rise up to the "still head", and then they condense (in the condenser), and the liquid drips into a receiving flask or other "receiver".

This will be the first lab in which we use our ChemKits.  (The only piece missing in the photo is a condenser.)

The simple distillation has a flask in a heating mantle, with a 3-way adapter attached to the flask.   Add a couple of boiling chips to the still pot (to ensure smooth boiling and to eliminate "bumping").
Then a thermometer adapter and themometer are added, as well as a condenser, and hoses to and from the cold water.  The receiver can be a flask, or, as we often use, a graduated cylinder to measure the volume of distillate.  By the way, the water hoses are reversed in that last picture - water should flow in at the bottom of the condenser, and out at the top.  That way th inner tube is entirely in contact with cooling water at all times.

We will be doing a distillation of salt water.  You only need to collect about five mLs of liquid before turning off the heat and stopping the distillation.  Pure water will hopefully be obtained.  Next lab meeting, we'll verify its purity by measuring its refractive index.  It is difficult to assess purity based on the boiling point as measured in the vapor phase.  Improper thermometer placement may cause inaccurate measurements. Furthermore, the boiling point of any liquid varies with ambient (atmospheric) pressure.

You will be doing a fractional distillation in lab next week.  You'll use refractometry and gas chromatography to analyze those samples..