AAMC #3, BS 114

I'm having a hard time understanding why developing a leak in the apparatus increases the surface pressure and thus increases the BP of both substances. How do we know the pressure in the appartus is different  from atmospheric pressure to begin with?

When the leak occurs does the vapor pressure of the liquids also decrease because temperature is going to be decreasing? This wouldnt necessarily mean the BP will be different, just that it will take longer to get there right?
Thanks!
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This question reads:  "If a leak develops in the vacuum distillation apparatus, the boiling points of the two components of caraway seed oil will:"

The key, then, is the fact that it says "vacuum distillation."  Remember that vacuum distillation will lower the pressure above the two liquids being distilled, so that it lowers their boiling point.  This is because liquids will boil when their vapor pressure equals the ambient pressure.  By lowering the ambient pressure, liquids will boil at a lower temperature because they don't need as high of a vapor pressure.  Vacuum distillation is used for liquids that have boiling points >125 degrees Celsius.

Thus, if a leak develops, we will expect the pressure inside the apparatus to go up.  It starts lower than atmospheric pressure, because that's the whole goal of vacuum distillation.  When a leak develops, the pressure will go up because air comes in from the surrounding atmosphere.  By increasing the ambient pressure, the boiling point starts going up again.

The vapor pressure of the liquids shouldn't change here just because of the leak.  Indirectly, it will cause them to go up in the end.  Remember that boiling is an isothermal process.  By increasing the boiling point, we increase the vapor pressure needed to cause that boiling.  Thus, assuming that we're supplying heat to the apparatus, the temperature will go up because the boiling point has gone up.  Before, it would hit the boiling point and stop at that temperature since the boiling process is isothermal.  Now, it adds heat until the boiling point -- at a higher temperature and higher vapor pressure -- and then boils at this temp.