If im trying to separate alcohol from water by distillation, is it possible if I heat the mixture to 100degreeC so water reaches its boiling point? I mean, is this method only workable if I distill the alcohol which has a lower boiling point first? What happens to alcohol beyond its boiling point?

You can't separate a mixture of ethanol and water. The two form an azeotrope that has a lower boiling point than either ethanol or water (approximately 4% water/96% ethanol) and that is what distills. Depending upon the starting mixture you can get pure water or pure alcohol until the concn becomes 96/4 and the rest of the pot comes over at that concn.

To separate alcohol from water by distillation, heating the mixture to 100 degrees Celsius is not sufficient. This is because both alcohol and water have boiling points below 100 degrees Celsius, and they will both evaporate together.

To perform a successful distillation, you need to take advantage of the different boiling points of alcohol and water. Alcohol has a lower boiling point than water, so if you heat the mixture gradually, the alcohol will start to evaporate first. By controlling the temperature and condensing the vapor, you can collect the alcohol separately.

The boiling point of ethanol (the alcohol found in alcoholic beverages) is around 78 degrees Celsius. Therefore, to separate alcohol from water, you need to heat the mixture to a temperature higher than 78 degrees Celsius but lower than 100 degrees Celsius. This ensures that the alcohol evaporates, leaving the water behind.

What happens to alcohol beyond its boiling point depends on the conditions. If the temperature is significantly above its boiling point, the alcohol will continue to vaporize and may degrade or burn. It's important to control the temperature carefully to prevent this from happening during distillation.