Experimental data on the distillation boundary in the
ethyl trifluoroacetate
(EtTFA)–trifluoroacetic acid (TFA)–N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) azeotropic (Az) system are considered.
Theoretical qualitative model of the distillation map of the EtTFA–TFA–NMP
mixture at atmospheric pressure supposes two distillation areas with
TFA or EtTFA having lower volatility and vice versa, and they are
split by the separatrix AzEtTFA/TFA–protic ionic
liquid (PIL). From the experimental data, for the liquid phase that
is located closer to the center of the concentration simplex, the
third component traces occurred, but in general, the vapor-phase composition
(vapor line) in the distillation map belongs to binary constituents.
One more interesting aspect is the vapor composition line across the
binary azeotrope EtTFA–TFA and, as a consequence, the separatrix
AzEtTFA/TFA–PIL. Therefore, the separation during
Rayleigh distillation and thermodynamic constraint (caused by the
presence of the azeotrope and the separatrix generated by it) overcoming
become possible by reason of PIL formation.