Properties of Gases, Solids & Liquids

Flashcards covering vocabulary and key concepts related to properties of gases, solids, and liquids based on lecture notes.

Vaporization

The process where a liquid changes to a gas.

Boiling

Gas converted from bottom up

Evaporation

Gas is converted from the top portion

Sublimation

The transition of a substance directly from the solid to the gas phase without passing through the intermediate liquid phase

Melting

Phase transition from a solid to a liquid.

Liquification

Phase transition from a gas to a liquid.

Solidification

Another term for Freezing

Freezing

Phase transition from a liquid to a solid.

Condensation

Phase transition from a gas to a liquid.

Deposition

Phase transition from a gas directly to a solid.

Triple Point

The temperature and pressure at which all three phases (solid, liquid, and gas) of a substance coexist in thermodynamic equilibrium.

Critical Point

The point on a phase diagram at which the substance has properties of both liquid and gas; the end of the liquid phase.

Kinetic Molecular Theory (KMT)

Explains the behavior of gas, liquid, and solid particles in terms of their speed of motion, range of motion, and attractive forces.

Effusion

The process in which a gas escapes through a small opening.

Diffusion

The spontaneous mixing of two or more substances caused by their random motion.

Surface Tension

A force that tends to pull adjacent parts of a liquid's surface together, thereby decreasing surface area to the smallest possible size.

Capillary Action

The attraction of liquid molecules to the surface of a solid which is strong enough to overcome the forces of gravity.

Heating Curve

A graph that shows the relationship between temperature and time for a substance as it is heated.

Cooling Curve

A graph that shows the relationship between temperature and time for a substance as it is cooled.

Barometer

An instrument designed to measure atmospheric pressure.

Endothermic

A process or reaction that absorbs heat from its surroundings, usually in the form of heat.

Exothermic

A process or reaction that releases energy from its surroundings, usually in the form of heat.

Fluidity

The ability of molecules to flow or glide past one another; both gases and liquids are referred to as fluids.