Fabrication of Distillation Apparatus to Check the Quality of Petrol

Volatility, defined as the propensity of a liquid to vaporize under equilibrium conditions, critically influences engine start-up and emission profiles. This study presents the design and fabrication of a custom distillation apparatus to determine petrol purity by generating distillation curves for two commercial samples. We introduce an air-cooled condenser configuration optimized for low-cost laboratories, addressing gaps in simple, reliable volatility measurement techniques. Experimental results demonstrate repeatable distillation curves with less than 2% deviation between trials. Sample 2 exhibited a 15% steeper initial slope and lower onset temperature (43°C vs. 47°C) compared to Sample 1, indicating higher volatility. These findings validate the apparatus’ accuracy and highlight its utility for routine quality control in resource-constrained settings.