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Phase Transitions

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9K views3 pages

Phase Transitions

Uploaded by

api-254428474
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Phase Transitions

The transformation of one state of matter into another state is called a phase
transition. Changing the state of matter of a substance is a physical change. It is usually
caused by changing the temperature of surrounding pressure of a substance.
Remember that we said that the temperature of a substance is related to the speed of
the particles notion. The speed of the particles determines the state of the matter of the
substance.
Melting is the change from a solid state to a liquid state. The temperature at
which solid melt is its melting point. Different substance have different melting point.
The melting point of ice is 0 Celsius or the ! "ahrenheit. If you heat a solid# the
particles in that matter will move faster. If you $eep heating the substance# the particles
will vibrate faster and faster. %ventually# with enough heat# the motion of the particles
will be great enough to overcome the attraction that loc$s the particles together. &hen
that happens# the solid becomes a solid.
The reverse of this process is called freezing. "ree'ing is the change from a
liquid to a solid state. (ecause the reverse of melting is free'ing# a substance will free'e
at the same temperature at which it melts. &ater free'es at 0 Celsius or ! "ahrenheit.
"or water# we can call 0 Celsius or ! "ahrenheit the melting or free'ing point of water.
&hen a substance changes from a liquid to a gas# we say that it vapori'es.
Vaporization is the change from a liquid state to a gaseous state. )s a substance is
heated# its particles begin to move faster and faster. The fastest particles are able to
overcome the attraction of the particles around them. They brea$ free completely and
become a gas. Thin$ about a pan of boiling water on the stove. )s the water heats#
steam rises over the pan. The steam is water vapor# a gas. If you continue to let the
water boil# eventually all of its particles will escape. The pan will boil dry. &ater boils at
*00 Celsius or !*! "ahrenheit.
This is called the boiling point. &hat happens to puddles on the street after it
rains+ The water in puddles evaporates. Evaporation is vapori'ation that occurs at the
surface of a liquid. %vaporation can ta$e place at temperatures below the liquid,s boiling
point.
Condensation is the change from a gaseous state to a liquid state. )s a gas
cools# its particles begin to slow down. Condensation ta$es place when the particles
slow down so much that they cannot overcome the attraction of the particles around
them. They clump together and form a liquid. -ou can easily observe condensation with
a cold drin$ on a warm day. The beads of water that form on the outside of the glass
came from the air surrounding the glass. &hen the air touched the icy glass# the air,s
particles of water vapor slowed down and clumped together in drops. The temperature
at which a gas condenses is called its condensation point. )t sea level# the
condensation point of water vapor is *00 Celsius or !*! "ahrenheit . the same as the
boiling point of water. Condensation is the reverse of vapori'ation.
/ometimes a substance will pass directly from a solid state to a gaseous state
without going through the middle state or phase. Ice and snow on %arth,s surface will
sometimes do this when the temperature is below the free'ing point. This process of
passing directly from a solid to a gas is called sublimation. "ro'en carbon dio0ide 1a
solid2 is commonly called dry ice. It sublimates# or changes from a solid to a gas# at a
temperature of .*03 "ahrenheit or .45 Celsius. This can be handy when you need to
$eep something cold# but you don,t want a mess left when it warms up. Dry ice can be
used to pac$age foods for mailing. /ince fro'en carbon dio0ide gas goes directly from a
solid to a gas# there,s no watery mess as it changes states
The reverse of this process is when a gas goes directly to the solid state. This is
called deposition. &hen carbon dio0ide gas has been fro'en and becomes a solid# it
has gone through deposition.

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