Phases of Water

Let’s take the case of water. The water molecules in their solid-state (ice) have relatively little energy and cannot move away from each other. The molecules are arranged in a regular arrangement known as a lattice. The energy of the molecules in ice increases as it is heated. This means that certain water molecules are able to overcome the intermolecular interactions that keep them close together, allowing them to migrate further apart and produce liquid water. 

The molecules in liquid water have more freedom to move than they did in the solid lattice, which is why they can flow. The liquid water will become water vapour, which is a gas if the molecules are heated further. Gas particles contain more energy and, on average, are separated from one another by distances far greater than the size of the atoms/molecules. Given the enormous distances between the particles, the attraction forces between them are quite weak.

Processes to change the state of water are:

• Evaporation: The process of changing a liquid state into a gas by providing heat is called evaporation.
• Condensation: The process in which water changes from gas states to liquid by cooling them is known as condensation.
• Melting: When the solid-state of water is changed into a liquid state also by the heating method is called melting.
• Freezing: When the liquid state changes into a solid state it is called the freezing method.
• Sublimation: When the solid-state of water directly changes into a gas state then it is known as sublimation.
• Deposition: When the vapour of water directly changes into a solid state it is known as a deposition.

Related Reads,

• Kinetic Theory of Gases
• Molecular Nature of Matter
• Kinetic Energy and Molecular Speeds

Kinetic Theory of Matter states that “All matter is made up of microscopic particles in random motion with space between them.” All the objects around us are called matter and there are various phases of matter. The most common phase of the matter is, Solid, Liquid, and Gas. And energy of the particle determines the phases of the particle. Apart from these three phases, there are two other phases of the matter that include, Plasma and Bose-Einstein Condensate.

In this article, we will learn about the Four Phases of Matter, Kinetic Theory of Matter, Sample Questions on the Kinetic Theory of Matter, and others in detail.