A vacuum distillation used to separate and purify substances that would otherwise be adversely affected by distillation at a higher temperature. Using pressures of below 0.01 torr, the gaseous phase no longer exerts a significant pressure on (p. 242) the substance being evaporated. The rate of evaporation is therefore not dependent on the pressure since mass transport is governed by molecular dynamics and not fluid dynamics. Molecular distillation is used for the purification of oils, the manufacture of lubricants from petroleum, and the purification of vitamins.