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Why does nitrogen boil before oxygen during the distillation of liquefied air?
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During the fractional distillation of liquefied air, nitrogen boils before oxygen because it has a lower boiling point.12
The boiling point of nitrogen is approximately ā195.8 °C (ā320.4 °F), which is about 13 °C (23 °F) lower than that of oxygen. In the process of distillation, the most volatile substanceāthe one with the lowest boiling pointāvaporizes first, allowing for the separation of components based on their differing boiling temperatures. Consequently, as the liquefied air is heated, the nitrogen transitions into a gas and is separated, while the oxygen remains in the liquid state.12