heat of fusion
Quick Summary
The heat of fusion is the amount of energy a substance absorbs or releases when it changes from a solid to a liquid (melting) or from a liquid to a solid (freezing) without a change in temperature. For example, it takes about 334 joules per gram to melt ice at 0°C. This energy is needed to overcome the forces holding the atoms or molecules together in the solid state, allowing them to move more freely in the liquid state. The reverse process, freezing, releases the same amount of heat. This concept is distinct from the heat of vaporization, which is the energy required for a liquid to become a gas.123
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freezing pointThe heat of fusion (see thermal fusion), the heat that must be applied to melt a solid, must be removed from the liquid to freeze it. Some liquids can be supercooled—i.e., cooled below the freezing point—without solid crystals forming. Putting a seed crystal into a supercooled…
Read MoreThe heat of fusion (see thermal fusion), the heat that must be applied to melt a solid, must be removed from the liquid to freeze it. Some liquids can be supercooled—i.e., cooled below the freezing point—without solid crystals forming. Putting a seed crystal into a supercooled…
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liquidTransitions between states of matter…freezing point, and their latent heat of fusion is released in the freezing process. Heating a solid provides the particles with the heat of fusion necessary to allow them to escape one another’s influence enough to move about in the liquid state. Further heating provides the liquid particles with their…
Read More…freezing point, and their latent heat of fusion is released in the freezing process. Heating a solid provides the particles with the heat of fusion necessary to allow them to escape one another’s influence enough to move about in the liquid state. Further heating provides the liquid particles with their…
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