The Bancroft point and vapor-liquid equilibria in the system benzene plus isopropanol

Vapor-liquid equilibria data from the literature for the system benzene + isopropanol are reviewed in detail. The data span a pressure range from 0.1 to 4.1 MPa, and indicate azeotropic behavior with the composition of the azeotrope shifting from being benzene-rich at low pressure to isopropanol-rich at high pressure. We attribute this behavior to the nature of the Bancroft point in this system and discuss the prevalence of Bancroft points in general. In a study comprising 1350 pure components, 64,103 Bancroft points were identified. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.