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How much energy is needed to melt one gram of ice at 0 °C?
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liquid
Figure 1: Phase diagram of argon.
To melt one gram of ice at 0 °C, approximately 334 joules or 80 calories of energy are required.123
This energy is known as the latent heat of fusion, which is the amount of heat absorbed by a substance during a phase change that occurs without a change in temperature. During this process, the energy is used to break the hydrogen bonds and overcome the attractive forces that maintain the rigid structure of the ice crystal lattice, allowing the molecules to transition into a more disordered liquid state.12