DRY DISTILLATION Meaning and
Definition
-
Dry distillation refers to a process of heating a substance in the absence of air or oxygen to drive off volatile components, leaving behind the residue or condensed products. This technique is commonly employed to extract valuable or desirable substances from organic materials, such as wood, coal, or oil.
During dry distillation, the substance is heated at high temperatures, usually in a closed container or retort, causing chemical decomposition without combustion. As heat is applied, volatile components present in the material vaporize and rise, leaving the non-volatile components behind. These volatile substances are then condensed and collected separately, often for further processing or use.
Dry distillation has been utilized for centuries in various applications. For example, in the production of charcoal, wood is subjected to dry distillation to remove moisture, tar, and other volatile substances, resulting in a carbon-rich product. In the distillation of coal, this process yields valuable byproducts such as coal tar, coal gas, and coke. Similarly, dry distillation of oil shale or petroleum oil can produce gaseous hydrocarbons, liquid fuels, and solid residues like coke.
This method also finds application in the extraction of essential oils from plants, where the desired aromatic compounds are obtained by heating the plant material. Dry distillation allows the separation of these volatile compounds without altering their chemical composition, preserving their unique fragrance and therapeutic properties.
Overall, dry distillation is a thermal treatment process that involves heating a substance in the absence of oxygen to volatilize its components, leading to the collection of desirable products or residues.
-
The submission of an organic substance to heat in a closed retort.
A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.
Common Misspellings for DRY DISTILLATION
- dry distillatiof
- dry distillatiol
- dry distillatioo
- d ry distillation
- dr y distillation
- dry d istillation
- dry di stillation
- dry dis tillation
- dry dist illation
- dry disti llation
- dry distil lation
- dry distill ation
- dry distilla tion
- dry distillat ion
- dry distillati on
- dry distillatio n
Etymology of DRY DISTILLATION
The word "dry distillation" comes from the combination of the adjectives "dry" and "distillation".
The term "distillation" can be traced back to the Latin word "distillare", which means "to drop" or "to trickle down". It was derived from the prefix "dis-", meaning "apart" or "in different directions", and the verb "stillo", meaning "to drip".
The adjective "dry" has origins in Old English, where it was spelled as "drȳe". It is believed to have come from the Proto-Germanic word "draugiz", which means "drought" or "dryness".
Therefore, "dry distillation" refers to a process of distillation where substances are heated to high temperatures without the presence of water or other liquids. It generally involves the breakdown of complex organic compounds into simpler ones by thermal decomposition.
