Which process would you use to purify water by separating it from impurities?

The process used to purify water by separating it from impurities is distillation. This method involves boiling water to create steam, which carries over the water vapor while leaving behind dissolved solids, minerals, and other contaminants. As the steam cools and condenses back into liquid form, it collects as purified water. Distillation is effective for removing a wide range of impurities, making it a reliable method for obtaining clean drinking water.

Filtration, while also a common water purification method, primarily works for separating larger particles and some contaminants based on size rather than effectively removing dissolved substances. Evaporation is a process that can separate water from impurities in a different context, but it does not specifically always ensure a collection of pure water in the same controlled manner as distillation. Saponification is a chemical reaction that produces soap and does not relate to water purification. Thus, distillation is the most accurate and effective process for achieving the desired outcome of purifying water.