Steam distillation is used to purify the substances which
(i) are volatile in steam but are immiscible with water.
(ii) possess sufficiently high vapour pressure at the boiling point of water.
(iii) contain non- volatile impurities.
The process of steam distillation can also be used to separate a mixture of two organic compounds one of which is steam volatile while the other is not.
In ortho and para-nitrophenol, ortho-nitrophenol has intramolecular H-bonding. So, it has lower boiling point.
Intermolecular H-Bonding more strong then intramolecular H-bonding. Whereas para-nitrophenol has intermolecular H-bonding. So, it has higher boiling point.
Due to difference in boiling points ortho and para-nitrophenol can be separated from each other by distillation.
