Why can’t I distill liquor at home?

Credit: ACS.

Have you ever wanted to make your own bourbon?

Don’t!

The process might be relatively simple- heat a fermented liquid and keep only the boiled alcohol – but it is dangerous and illegal without a license.

This video discusses how to separate one type of liquid from a slurry of others through boiling points and the intermolecular forces that influence them.

Distilling liquor might be a relatively simple process — heating a fermented liquid and keeping only the boiled alcohol — but it is dangerous and illegal without a license.

To extract only alcohol from a mixture of many ingredients, scientists must explore boiling points and the intermolecular forces that shape them.

Reactions is a video series produced by the American Chemical Society and PBS Digital Studios.

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