No, two liquids with different boiling points cannot be separated by simply mixing them together and letting them sit until one boils away first. Boiling is a process that occurs when a liquid reaches its boiling point and turns into a vapor. It involves the conversion of the liquid into a gas phase.
When you mix two liquids with different boiling points, they will not separate based on their boiling points alone. Instead, they will form a mixture, and the combined boiling point of the mixture will be different from the boiling points of the individual components.
The boiling point of a liquid is the temperature at which its vapor pressure equals atmospheric pressure. In a mixture of liquids, the vapor pressure is determined by the composition of the mixture, not just the boiling points of the individual components. The presence of one liquid can affect the vapor pressure and boiling point of the other.
To separate two liquids with different boiling points, a process called distillation is commonly used. Distillation takes advantage of the different boiling points of the liquids to separate them. In a distillation setup, the mixture is heated, and the component with the lower boiling point vaporizes first. The vapor is then condensed and collected, leaving behind the component with the higher boiling point.
Distillation relies on the fact that the vapor produced is enriched in the lower boiling point component. By collecting and condensing this vapor, the separation of the two liquids can be achieved. It is a more controlled and efficient method compared to relying on evaporation alone.
In summary, mixing two liquids and waiting for one to boil away will not effectively separate them. Distillation, which involves heating the mixture and collecting the vapor, is the commonly used method to separate liquids with different boiling points.