Methanol distillation
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There is another issue: the methanol obtained through double-column distillation has a purity of 99% as determined by chromatography, but it still becomes cloudy when water is added. Why is that? How to solve it?
The crude alcohol is first poured into a storage tank; after standing, it is sent to a pre-distillation column for further refinement. The temperature in the main distillation column is kept slightly lower, with increased reflux used
The explanation indicates that there are also light components present, which results in unsatisfactory water solubility. There are various reasons for this; one possible solution is to increase the reflux rate, use more extraction water, and keep the temperature of the pre-condenser between 30 and 40 degrees, etc