# Distillation
## MicroSim spec
- **Recommended sim type:** column tray cascade
- **Microsimmability score:** 92/100
- **Layout:** drawing region (canvas) on top; control region (sliders/buttons) below.
### Parameters (tunable controls)
- `Reflux ratio R - 0 to 10, liquid returned vs. product drawn`
- `Feed composition zF - 0 to 1 mole fraction of the light component`
- `Theoretical stages N - 1 to 40 trays`
### What animates
Vapor and liquid pass counter-current up a column while a McCabe-Thiele staircase steps between the equilibrium and operating lines, so adding stages or reflux visibly sharpens the distillate purity.
### Learning objective
Connect reflux ratio and stage count to how completely two components separate.
## Links (Wikipedia order)
<!-- injected from _registry/childlinks/Distillation.json (2026-07-30T02:09:12Z) -->
`API_oil–water_separator` · `Abu_Bakr_al-Razi` · `Acid–base_extraction` · `Adsorption` · `Aeneas_Coffey` · `Ahmad_Y._al-Hassan` · `Air_separation` · `Akkadian_language` · `Al-Farabi` · `Al-Kindi` · `Al-Tasrif` · `Al-Zahrawi` · `Alchemy` · `Alcohol_(drug)` · `Alembic` · `Alexander_of_Aphrodisias` · `Ammonia` · `Aqueous_two-phase_system` · `Archetype` · [[Argon]] · `Aristotle` · `Aromatherapy` · `Atmospheric_distillation_of_crude_oil` · `Atmospheric_pressure` · `Avicenna` · `Azeotrope` · `Azeotropic_distillation` · `Babylonia` · `Bar_(unit)` · `Batch_distillation` · `Belt_filter` · `Benzene` · `Boiling` · `Boiling_chip` · [[Boiling_point]] · `Brill_Publishers` · `Cachaça` · `Carbohydrate` · `Catalytic_distillation` · `Centrifuge` · `Charsadda` · `Chemical_engineer` · [[Chemical_engineering]] · `Chemical_plant` · `Chemical_reaction` · `Chemical_synthesis` · [[Chemistry]] · `Chlorosilane` · `Chromatography` · `Clyssus` · `Column_still` · `Common_Era` · `Computational_chemistry` · `Computer_simulation` · `Condensation` · `Condenser_(laboratory)` · `Continuous_distillation` · `Cracking_(chemistry)` · `Cross-flow_filtration` · `Crude_oil_stabilisation` · `Crystallization` · `Cyclonic_separation` · `Dalton's_law` · `Decantation` · `Depth_filter` · `Desalination` · `Desiccant` · `Destructive_distillation` · `Dialysis_(chemistry)` · `Dimethyl_sulfoxide` · `Dissolved_air_flotation` · `Distill_(album)` · `Distill_(journal)` · `Distillate_(motor_fuel)` · `Distillation_(disambiguation)` · `Distillation_Design` · `Distilled_water` · `Distiller_(disambiguation)` · `Distillery_(disambiguation)` · `Dixon_rings` · `Dry_distillation` · `Drying` · `Drying_tube` · `Efficient_energy_use` · `Electrochromatography` · `Electroextraction` · `Electrofiltration` · `Electrostatic_precipitator` · `Elsevier` · `Eric_John_Holmyard` · `Ernest_Solvay` · `Ernest_Thiele` · `Essential_oil` · `Ethanol` · `Ethyl_acetate` · `Ethylbenzene` · `Ethylene_glycol` · `Eutectic_system` · `Evaporation` · `Evaporator` · `Extraction_(chemistry)` · `Extractive_distillation` · `Fenske_equation` · `Fermentation_in_food_processing` · `Filter_press` · `Filtration` · `Flash_evaporation` · `Flocculation` · `Fluid` · `Food_processing` · [[Fractional_distillation]] · `Fractionating_column` · `Fragrance_extraction` · `Frederic_L._Holmes` · `Free_molecular_flow` · `Freeport,_Texas` · `Freezing` · `Froth_flotation` · `Fuel` · `Gandhara` · `Gas` · `Gerard_of_Cremona` · `Google_Books` · `Gravity_separation` · `Ground_glass_joint` · `Heating_element` · `Hebei` · `Herbal_distillate` · `Hieronymus_Brunschwig` · `Hydrocarbon` · `Hydrochloric_acid` · `Ice_wine` · `Ideal_solution` · `India` · `Indian_subcontinent` · `Industrial_gas` · `Internet_Archive` · `Irfan_Habib` · `Jabir_ibn_Hayyan` · `Jin_dynasty_(1115–1234)` · `John_Marshall_(archaeologist)` · `Kugelrohr` · `Laboratory_glassware` · `Leachate` · `Leaching_(chemistry)` · `Liber_de_arte_distillandi_de_simplicibus` · `Liebig_condenser` · `Lime_(material)` · `Liquid_nitrogen` · `Liquid_oxygen` · `Liquid–liquid_extraction` · `Liquor` · `Low-temperature_distillation` · `Magnetic_stirrer` · `Marcellin_Berthelot` · `Mass_transfer` · `McCabe–Thiele_method` · `Mean_free_path` · `Medieval_Greek` · `Mesopotamia` · `Methanol` · `Microdistillery` · `Microfiltration` · `Miscibility` · `Mixer-settler` · `Mixture` · `Mole_fraction` · `Molecular_distillation` · `Molecular_sieve` · `Mother_liquor` · `Multi-stage_flash_distillation` · [[Nitrogen]] · `O-Xylene` · `Oil_refinery` · `Osmosis` · [[Oxygen]] · `Packed_bed` · `Pakistan` · `Partial_pressure` · `Patent` · `Paul_Kraus_(Arabist)` · `Pearson_Education` · `Perkin_triangle` · `Perry's_Chemical_Engineers'_Handbook` · `Pervaporation` · `Petrochemical` · `Petroleum` · `Phase_(matter)` · `Plate_column` · `Pliny_the_Elder` · `Polytetrafluoroethylene` · `Pot_still` · `Potassium_carbonate` · `Precipitation_(chemistry)` · `Propane` · `Propylene` · `Protein_skimmer` · `Pyrolysis` · `Random_column_packing` · `Rang_Mahal,_Sri_Ganganagar` · `Raoult's_law` · `Rapid_sand_filter` · `Raschig_ring` · `Raw_material` · `Reactive_distillation` · `Recrystallization_(chemistry)` · `Redox` · `Reflux` · `Relative_volatility` · `Retort` · `Reverse_osmosis` · `Robert_Jacobus_Forbes` · `Robert_P._Multhauf` · `Roger_Bacon` · `Roman_Egypt` · `Rotary_evaporator` · `Rotary_vacuum-drum_filter` · `Round-bottom_flask` · `Rum` · `Salt` · `Salt-effect_distillation` · `Scrubber` · `Sedimentation_(water_treatment)` · `Semiconductor` · `Seneca_the_Younger` · `Separation_process` · `Short-path_distillation` · [[Silicon]] · `Silicone_oil` · `Simulation` · `Skin_care` · `Solid-phase_extraction` · `Solvent` · `Sorption` · `Spinning_band_distillation` · `Spinning_cone` · `Steady_state` · `Steam_distillation` · `Still` · `Structured_packing` · `Styrene` · `Sublimation_(phase_transition)` · `Sugar` · `Sulfuric_acid` · `Taddeo_Alderotti` · `Taxila` · `Tequila` · `The_Green_Tree_Distillery` · `Theodoros_Pelecanos` · `Theoretical_plate` · `Toluene` · `Torr` · `Ultrafiltration` · `Ultrapure_water` · `Unit_operation` · `Vacuum` · `Vacuum_ceramic_filter` · `Vacuum_distillation` · `Vacuum_pump` · `Valve` · `Vapor_pressure` · `Vaporization` · `Vapor–liquid_equilibrium` · `Vodka` · `Volatility_(chemistry)` · `W._D._Ross` · `Water_of_crystallization` · `Water_security` · [[Wayback_Machine]] · `Whisky` · `William_R._Newman` · `Wine` · `Wood` · `Yuan_dynasty` · `Zosimos_of_Panopolis`
## From the Real GENERATIVE library
*Distillation — placed from the Real G.E.N.E.R.A.T.I.V.E. course library (STEM and Music room). Source: Wikimedia Commons (via Wikipedia article media). [Details & license](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Simple_distillation_apparatus.svg).*
> Distillation, also classical distillation, is the process of separating the component substances of a liquid mixture of two or more chemically discrete substances; the separation process is realized by way of the selective boiling of the mixture and the condensation of the vapors in a still. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distillation))
<!-- REAL-GENERATIVE-MEDIA:END -->
> p5.js MicroSim stub · part of Process Engineering · [Wikipedia source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distillation)
> Relation: subfield of process engineering.
## Concept summary
Distillation separates a liquid mixture into fractions by exploiting differences in volatility: the more-volatile component enriches the rising vapor while the less-volatile one concentrates in the falling liquid.
## Build checklist
- [ ] Claim it: set `status: in-progress` + `lease` + `leased_at`
- [ ] Write the child page explaining the concept (tie it back to process engineering)
- [ ] Finalize parameter ranges and defaults
- [ ] Implement the p5.js sketch (drawing + control regions)
- [ ] Add caption + the learning objective on the page
- [ ] Set `status: done`
## p5.js sketch
```javascript
// MicroSim: Distillation
let controls = {};
function setup() {
// createCanvas(...); create sliders for the parameters above.
}
function draw() {
// background(...); read controls; render column tray cascade; respond live.
}
```
---
Back to Process Engineering · Wikipedia: [Distillation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distillation)
---
<!-- SEMIOTIC-PROFILE:START -->
## Semiotic profile
> *The semiotic universals this article invokes, machine-derived from the crossref — **unverified** (born so). Populated 2026-07-06 for the Systems room.*
**Universals (2):** 🟢 equilibrium (1) · 🟢 flow (1)
**Enter by sign:** Systems Semiotic Gateway · Alphabetum · Icon Registry · ← Systems Portal
<!-- SEMIOTIC-PROFILE:END -->
<!-- REAL-GENERATIVE-MEDIA:START -->
## Wikipedia : Wikitube
**Strict pair:** [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distillation) : [Wikitube](https://en.wikitube.io/wiki/Distillation)
## Previous hub tags
Tree parent: [[Oxygen]].
Legacy hubs: none.
---
*Sources: 1 legacy note. Minted wave 1, 2026-07-30 (v1.6 order).*