hydrodestillation

Hydrodistillation is a method used to extract essential oils from plant materials. It is a type of steam distillation where the plant matter is submerged in water, and the mixture is then heated to boiling. As the water boils, it turns into steam, which carries the volatile aromatic compounds from the plant. This steam, laden with essential oil, rises and is then cooled in a condenser. The cooling process turns the steam back into liquid, separating the essential oil from the water. The oil, being less dense than water, typically floats on top and can be collected.

This technique is suitable for extracting oils from delicate plant materials that might be damaged by direct steam. Hydrodistillation is often used for flowers, leaves, and some roots. The process relies on the principle that many organic compounds, including essential oils, have a lower boiling point than water. By boiling the water, the temperature is raised sufficiently to vaporize these compounds without necessarily reaching their individual boiling points. The resulting essential oil is a concentrated extract containing the aromatic essence of the original plant. The purity and quality of the extracted oil can be influenced by factors such as the plant material's freshness, the distillation time, and the temperature.