Question

How are glas beads used in fractional distillation as a column packing different than granular solid used in gas chromatography as a column packing? How are they similar?

Answer 1

The efficiency of fractional distillation depends on the use of the fractionating column.The fractionating column is packed with glass beads.It provides a large surface area for vapourisation and condensation of the liquid mixture.

The stationary phase is either a granular solid (i.e.-gas - solid chromatography),or a granular solid coated with a thin film of non volatile liquid (i.e. gas liquid chromatophy).

Here the similarity is fractional distillation and gas chromatography both are used for separation of mixture and in both cases glass beads and granular solid are act as stationary phase.