Distillation is a separation technique that relies on the difference in boiling points of the components in a mixture.

When a mixture of liquids is heated, the liquid with the lower boiling point will vaporize first and can be collected separately. This process can be repeated to separate multiple components with different boiling points. Distillation is commonly used in the petroleum industry to separate crude oil into various fractions, and in the production of alcoholic beverages to separate alcohol from water.