Fruit Juice Distillation

Explore the process of distillation with a kitchen chemistry activity using fruit juice. What role does boiling the juice play in the process?

Mixing water (a solvent) and sugar (a solute) together will give you a solution, a homogenous mixture in which the solute has completely dissolved. You can reverse the process and separate the solution back into its parts using distillation. (Note: there are some solutions for which distillation does not work!)

In this week's family-friendly chemistry activity, students explore the process of distillation using fruit juice. The stove-top procedure guides students in boiling juice, collecting the distillate, and then comparing the distillate, what remains of the juice in the pot, and the original juice. This is fascinating kitchen science families can see and taste!

The following Science Buddies activity on the Scientific American website has all the information you need to do this science activity with your students at home: Separation by Distillation.

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