the principles and applications of distillation in chemical engineering, outlining its significance, working principles, and various types of distillation processes. Explain the role of distillation in separating and purifying liquid mixtures, and how factors such as boiling point differences, vapor$-$liquid equilibria, and column design influence the efficiency of distillation. Furthermore, analyze the advantages and limitations of different distillation techniques, such as simple distillation, fractional distillation, and steam distillation, and provide examples of industrial processes where distillation plays a critical role in product purification and separation.