vaporization: The Boiling Point and Latent Heat of Vaporization

When heat is added to a liquid at its boiling point, with the pressure kept constant, the molecules of the liquid acquire enough energy to overcome the intermolecular forces that bind them together in the liquid state, and they escape as individual molecules of vapor until the vaporization is complete. Vaporization at the boiling point is known simply as boiling. The temperature of a boiling liquid remains constant until all of the liquid has been converted to a gas.

For each substance a certain specific amount of heat must be supplied to vaporize a given quantity of the substance. This amount of heat is known as the latent heat of vaporization of the substance. The quantity of heat applied for each gram (or each molecule) undergoing the change in state depends on the substance itself. For example, the amount of heat necessary to change one gram of water to steam at its boiling point at one atmosphere of pressure, i.e., the heat of vaporization of water, is approximately 540 calories. Other substances require other amounts.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Evaporation and Vapor Pressure
• The Boiling Point and Latent Heat of Vaporization

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