Acrylonitrile and ethyl acetate have the same boiling point: 77.2ºC. In one to two sentences, explain what outcome you would expect if a mixture of these two substances were distilled.

Answer 1

When a mixture of acrylonitrile and ethyl acetate is distilled, you would expect that the more volatile component would dominate the distillate if there are significant differences in their vapor pressures. Due to their identical boiling points, however, the distillation may be less efficient, leading to an azeotropic behavior where both components could distill together, resulting in a mixture that retains both substances in similar proportions.