Azeotropic mixture of water and HCl boils at 381.5 K. By distilling the mixture it is possible to obtain-

Options

A. Pure HCl only
B. Pure water only
C. Neither HCl nor water
D. Both water and HCl in pure state

Answer

To solve the question regarding the azeotropic mixture of water and HCl that boils at 381.5 K, we need to understand the concept of an azeotropic mixture and what happens during distillation.

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understanding Azeotropic Mixture**:
- An azeotropic mixture is a mixture of two or more liquids that has a constant boiling point and composition throughout the boiling process. This means that when the mixture is heated, it will boil at a specific temperature without changing its composition.

2. **Boiling Point of the Mixture**:
- The given azeotropic mixture of water and HCl boils at 381.5 K. At this temperature, both components (water and HCl) will vaporize together in a fixed ratio.

3. **Distillation Process**:
- When we distill an azeotropic mixture, we cannot separate the components completely. Instead, the vapor produced during the distillation will have the same composition as the liquid mixture. This means that the vapor will still contain both HCl and water.

4. **Possible Outcomes from Distillation**:
- Since the mixture boils at a constant temperature, the vapor produced will not be pure HCl or pure water. Instead, it will be a mixture of both. Therefore, we cannot obtain pure components through simple distillation.

5. **Analyzing the Options**:
- Option 1: Pure HCl only - This is incorrect because the distillation will not yield pure HCl.
- Option 2: Pure water only - This is also incorrect for the same reason; we cannot obtain pure water.
- Option 3: Neither HCl nor water - This option implies that we will get a mixture, which is correct since we will obtain a vapor that is a combination of both components.
- Option 4: A mixture of HCl and water - This is the correct interpretation of the distillation process.

6. **Conclusion**:
- By distilling the azeotropic mixture of water and HCl, we can obtain a mixture of HCl and water, but not pure substances.

### Final Answer:
By distilling the azeotropic mixture of water and HCl, it is possible to obtain a mixture of HCl and water.