Why is distillation an effective method for separating a mixture of water and acetone?

Distillation is an effective method for separating a mixture of water and acetone because they are miscible liquids and have a sufficiently large difference in their boiling points. Acetone boils at about 56 °C, while water boils at 100 °C, giving a difference of about 44 °C. This difference is suitable for separation by simple distillation.

On heating the mixture, acetone, having the lower boiling point, vaporises first, while most of the water remains in the distillation flask. The acetone vapours pass through the condenser, where they cool and condense back into liquid acetone. The acetone is then collected in a separate vessel, and water remains behind in the flask. Thus, the two liquids can be separated based on their different boiling points.