How can benzene be separated from thiophene chemically?

They all take advantage of the fact that thiophene is far more reactive than benzene despite being aromatic.

A. Raney Nickel's desulfurization process

Butane is a gas at room temperature that is produced when thiophene and Raney nickel react.

B. Mercury(II) acetate mercury conservation

The thiophene reacts quickly to form poly mercury acetates, which precipitate out and are filtered off, when impure benzene is refluxed with mercury(II) acetate.

3. Sulfonation

Using thiophene's strong sulfonation reactivity is perhaps the most practical approach.

Sulfonation of the thiophene occurs when benzene and thiophene are shaken with sulfuric acid at room temperature, while the benzene remains unaltered.

You can separate the sulfuric acid layer from the thiophenesulfonic acid.

The benzene can then be cleaned, dried, and distillated as normal.

Benzene can be separated from thiophene chemically by fractional distillation, since benzene has a lower boiling point than thiophene. Alternatively, selective chemical reactions can be employed, such as hydrogenation of thiophene to form hexane, leaving benzene unaffected.