A Vigreux column is a type of fractionating column. It is usually attached to the still with at the bottom, and to a condenser at the top using Quickfit-type joints for fractional distillations. With many indenations in the glass, it provides a greater surface area for partitioning between the liquid and vapor phases than a straight-walled column. A fractionating column is a piece of glassware used in distillation that allows compounds with close boiling points to be separated. ... The term condenser has the following meanings: In electronics, it is another (old-fashioned) word for capacitor. ... Fractional distillation is the separation of a mixture into its component parts, or fractions, such as in separating chemical compounds by their boiling point by heating them to a temperature at which several fractions of the compound will evaporate. ...