Is distillation used to separate helium and oxygen gases?

Answer 1

No; the process of separating water into oxygen and helium gases is called electrolysis, since it uses electricity (and a catalyst, such as platinum) to do so.

Distillation is the process of concentrating a fluid (such as alcohol) by separating it from another fluid (such as water) by taking advantage of the fact that the fluids will boil at different temperatures. It is a heat-based process, rather than an electrical one.

Answer 2

Yes, distillation is not suitable for separating helium and oxygen gases because they have very close boiling points (-269°C for helium and -183°C for oxygen), which makes them difficult to separate effectively using distillation. Other separation techniques, such as cryogenic distillation or selective adsorption, are typically used for separating helium and oxygen gases.