How to Perform Freeze Distillation

How to Perform Freeze Distillation
Written By
Finn McCuhil
Finn McCuhil
Published: Feb 20, 2010
Updated: Nov 20, 2021
1 minute read

Things You Will Need

  • Mother of vinegar (wine that has fermented while exposed to air)
  • Two 2-liter plastic bottles
  • Freezer
  • Funnel

If the freezing point of the material you wish to separate from the water is lower than 32-degrees Fahrenheit, you can let your freezer do the distilling for you. Acetic acid (vinegar) has a significantly lower freezing point than water and is an ideal home project for freeze distillation.

  1. Pour the mother of vinegar into a 2-liter bottle. Leave at least three inches of airspace at the top of the bottle to allow the water to expand as it freezes.

  2. Place the bottle into your freezer.

  3. Allow the bottle to freeze for at least 24 hours.

  4. Remove the bottle from the freezer and remove the cap.

  5. Place a funnel into the mouth of an empty bottle. Place the frozen bottle neck down into the funnel.

  6. Allow the liquid from the frozen bottle to drain until the ice inside it is clear.

  7. Discard the ice remaining in the frozen bottle.

Tips

Allow the vinegar to drain from the bottle. Do not heat the bottle to speed the operation. This will only dilute the vinegar.

Warnings

It is illegal to distill ethanol without a permit. You can apply for a federal distillation permit (see Resources).

Photo Credits

bottled vinegar apricots image by Leticia Wilson from Fotolia.com

bottled vinegar apricots image by Leticia Wilson from Fotolia.com

Finn McCuhil

Finn McCuhil is a freelance writer based in Northern Michigan. He worked as a reporter and columnist in South Florida before becoming fascinated with computers. After studying programming at University of South Florida, he spent more than…

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