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Melting, or fusion, is a physical process that results in the phase transition of a substance from a solid to a liquid. This occurs when the internal energy of the solid increases, typically by the application of heat or pressure , which increases the substance's temperature to the melting point .
The melting point (or, rarely, liquefaction point) of a substance is the temperature at which it changes state from solid to liquid. At the melting point the solid and liquid phase exist in equilibrium. The melting point of a substance depends on pressure and is usually specified at a standard pressure such as 1 atmosphere or 100 kPa. When ...
The solidus is the locus of temperatures (a curve on a phase diagram) below which a given substance is completely solid (crystallized). The solidus temperature specifies the temperature below which a material is completely solid, [2] and the minimum temperature at which a melt can co-exist with crystals in thermodynamic equilibrium.
A vapor can exist in equilibrium with a liquid (or solid), in which case the gas pressure equals the vapor pressure of the liquid (or solid). A supercritical fluid (SCF) is a gas whose temperature and pressure are above the critical temperature and critical pressure respectively. In this state, the distinction between liquid and gas disappears.
Enthalpies of melting and boiling for pure elements versus temperatures of transition, demonstrating Trouton's rule. In thermodynamics, the enthalpy of fusion of a substance, also known as (latent) heat of fusion, is the change in its enthalpy resulting from providing energy, typically heat, to a specific quantity of the substance to change its state from a solid to a liquid, at constant pressure.
If the vapor then condenses to a liquid on a surface, then the vapor's latent energy absorbed during evaporation is released as the liquid's sensible heat onto the surface. The large value of the enthalpy of condensation of water vapor is the reason that steam is a far more effective heating medium than boiling water, and is more hazardous.
Solid carbon dioxide sublimes rapidly along the solid-gas boundary (sublimation point) below the triple point (e.g., at the temperature of −78.5 °C, at atmospheric pressure), whereas its melting into liquid CO 2 can occur along the solid-liquid boundary (melting point) at pressures and temperatures above the triple point (i.e., 5.1 atm, − ...
A small piece of rapidly melting solid argon shows two concurrent phase changes. The transition from solid to liquid, and gas to liquid (shown by the white condensed water vapour). Other phase changes include: Transition to a mesophase between solid and liquid, such as one of the "liquid crystal" phases.