Question

A saturated vapor of maleic anhydride and benzoic acid contain- ing 10 mol% acid is a byproduct of the manufacture of phthalic anhydride. It is distilled at 13.3 kPa to give a product of 99.5 mol% maleic anhydride and a bottoms of 0.5 mol%. Calculate the number of theoretical plates using an L/D of 1.6 times the minimum using the data below.

Vapor Pressure, Torr:

Temp, C                10      50       100     200      400

Maleic Anhydride 78.7 116.8 135.8 155.9 179.5

Benzoic Acid       131.6 167.8   185   205.8     227

Answer 1

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