Interactive Self-Study Module: Azeotropes
Overview:
This module uses a screencast and interactive simulations to explain azeotropes in vapor-liquid equilibrium. Your retention of material in this module will increase if you write down reasons for your answers to ConcepTests, questions in screencasts, and questions to answer before using interactive simulations, and you try to solve the example problems before watching the screencast solutions. We suggest using the learning resources in the following order:
- Attempt to answer the multiple choice ConcepTest and solve the example problem before watching the screencasts or working with the simulations.
- Watch the screencast that describes azeotropes and answer the questions within the screencast.
- Review the important equations for azeotropes.
- Use the interactive simulations to further understand the behavior of systems with azeotropes.
- Try to solve the example problems before watching the solution in the screencasts.
- Answer the ConcepTests.
- Look at the list of key points, but only after you try to list the key points yourself.
Motivation:
- This is intended for a thermodynamics course or a separations course.
Before studying this module, you should be able to:
- Explain Raoult’s Law and VLE.
- Calculate Vapor-Liquid Equilibrium for Non-Ideal Solutions.
- Determine Enthalpy of Mixing and Deviation from Raoult’s Law.
After studying this module, you should be able to:
- Explain the properties of an azeotrope.
- Explain which type of mixing (endothermic or exothermic) occurs for a maximum-temperature or minimum-temperature azeotrope.
- Determine vapor-liquid equilibrium compositions at another liquid composition and the same temperature, given vapor-liquid equilibrium data for a binary mixture at one liquid composition and temperature.
- Explain how an azeotrope can make separation by distillation difficult.