Change of State

A change of state is a physical change in the matter that can be reversed as well. It involves general changes in the state that are; freezing, deposition, vaporization, condensation, sublimation, and melting at the same time.

Change of State Definition

A physical alteration in a matter is said to be a modification in the condition of the matter. These alterations are reversible in nature and do not entail any alterations to the chemical composition of the matter. Moreover, deposition, sublimation, melting, freezing, vaporization, etc. are some of the examples of evolutions in the state of the matter.

Change of State of Matter

While talking about the change of state of matter, we can consider the scenario, when the cubes of ice melt and turn into water or the liquid boils and turns into the vapour, you can see the alterations in the state of the matter, but do you know why these matters change their state? The answer is, when a matter gains energy or loses it, alteration takes place in its condition. Moreover, when any matter gains energy, its molecules and atoms make movements at a faster rate, and additional kinetic energy drives the particles at an adequate distance apart from each other that their shape changes. Usually, this energy is termed thermal energy as well as heat sometimes. Furthermore, there are various other changes of state of matter examples that we can consider.

Causes of Phase Changes

Changes in a phase occur when the temperature or the pressure of a system alters. The amount of contact increases amid the particles on the increase of pressure or the temperature. Just like that, when the temperature goes down, it becomes easy for the molecules and atoms to create a more stiff structure.

Change of Phase in Solids & Liquids

Let’s just consider the process of making ice cubes in a refrigerator. First of all, we take a tray and fill it with water and place the tray inside the freezer of the refrigerator. What’s next? Let’s find out:

Freezing Process – the heat gets shifted from the tray to the colder air in the freezer. Later, the warm liquid in the freezer loses the heat to the frosty air. This process of heat transfer stays until the particles of water lose their total energy to move. They are bound to stay in stable places because of the strength of attraction amid them. The liquid is converted into solid i.e. water has now become ice in this method. Consequently, freezing is defined as the process of the conversion of liquid into solid. In addition, the freezing point is basically the temperature at which this transformation takes place and turns the liquid into the solid-state.

Melting Process – in this process, the ice cubes absorb the energy from the hot air that surrounds them when they are taken out of the freezer and stored in an open and hot area. Later, the absorbed heat assists them in dealing with the force that keeps them together in the solid-state. In addition, this process then allows them to get free from their solid ice structure. Moreover, melting is defined as the process of transforming a solid material into a liquid form. The melting point is the temperature where a solid converts into a liquid state.

Change of Phase in Gas & Liquid

When you heat a bowl filled with water, the water warms up in the utensil due to the flow of heat energy from the cooktop to the utensil. The water then absorbs the heat energy, now what happens next? Let’s read:

Vaporization Process – when the water gets the heat in an adequate amount, it starts boiling when it reaches the boiling temperature. Then, the formation of bubbles takes place in the boiling water. This happens when the particles of the water obtain an adequate amount of energy to overcome the attracting force amid them and convert to the gaseous state. The bubbles are formed in the water and exit in the form of steam, and the heat escapes from the bowl. However, vaporization is defined as the procedure where liquid gets converted into the gaseous form. In addition, the boiling point for the liquid is the level of temperature at which it starts boiling.

Condensation Process – whenever you take shower from hot water in the closed washroom, you notice that fog collects on the mirror in the washroom. This happens because of the evaporation process where the water turns into a gaseous form and when it touches any cold surface, it loses its energy and cools down, just like the mirror in the washroom. Therefore, condensation is the process where gas turns into liquid form.

Change of Phase in Gas & Solid

Whenever a solid has to be converted into the gaseous form, firstly, it has to be in the liquid form and then it gets evaporated and turns into the gaseous form. But in some cases, solid may turn into the gaseous form directly. Similarly, gas can also get converted into solid form directly.

Sublimation Process – it is the procedure where a solid gets converted into gas directly. When the solid absorbs an adequate amount of energy, the attraction forces amid them get totally removed. This process of sublimation takes place when solid such as dry ice is heated. Air fresheners are also there when it comes to the process of sublimation, like the one we use in the toilets.

Deposition Process – it is considered as the process where the gaseous state gets converted into the solid state without going into the liquid state. The procedure of deposition is governed by thermodynamics. In addition, this process of deposition is just the opposite of the sublimation process.

Conclusion

The study of change of state and various change of state of matter examples in this article, concludes that everything that exists on the planet experiences the alteration in its state. A change of state is a physical change in the matter that can be reversed as well. There are a lot of processes for state change of matter such as freezing, deposition, vaporization, condensation, sublimation, and melting.