(a) What phase change is represented by the "heat of fusion" of a substance? (b) Is the heat of fusion endothermic or exothermic? (c) If you compare a substance's heat of fusion to its heat of vaporization, which one is generally larger?

Short Answer

Expert verified
(a) The phase change represented by the "heat of fusion" is the transition of a substance from the solid phase to the liquid phase at its melting point, keeping the temperature constant. (b) The heat of fusion is an endothermic process, as it requires the addition of heat energy for the phase change to occur. (c) Generally, a substance's heat of vaporization is larger than its heat of fusion, as more energy is needed to overcome the intermolecular forces in the transition from liquid to gaseous phase than from solid to liquid phase.

Step by step solution

01

Define heat of fusion

The heat of fusion is the amount of heat energy required to change a substance from the solid phase to the liquid phase at its melting point, while keeping the temperature constant.
02

Determine if the heat of fusion is endothermic or exothermic

The heat of fusion is an endothermic process because it requires the addition of heat energy to the substance in order to change its phase from solid to liquid. As heat energy is absorbed by the substance, its molecules gain energy and break the bonds holding them together in the solid phase, allowing them to move more freely and form the liquid phase.
03

Compare heat of fusion to heat of vaporization

The heat of vaporization is the amount of heat energy required to change a substance from the liquid phase to the gaseous phase at its boiling point, while keeping the temperature constant. In general, the heat of vaporization is larger than the heat of fusion for a substance. This is because it requires more energy to overcome the intermolecular forces between the molecules and allow the molecules to move completely unrestricted in the gaseous phase, compared to the energy needed to overcome the forces holding the molecules together in the solid phase and allow them to move more freely in the liquid phase.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

In terms of the arrangement and freedom of motion of the molecules, how are the nematic liquid crystalline phase and an ordinary liquid phase similar? How are they different?

The fluorocarbon compound \(\mathrm{C}_{2} \mathrm{Cl}_{3} \mathrm{F}_{3}\) has a normal boiling point of \(47.6^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\) . The specific heats of \(\mathrm{C}_{2} \mathrm{Cl}_{3} \mathrm{F}_{3}(l)\) and \(\mathrm{C}_{2} \mathrm{Cl}_{3} \mathrm{F}_{3}(g)\) are 0.91 and \(0.67 \mathrm{J} / \mathrm{g}-\mathrm{K}\) , respectively. The heat of vaporization for the compound is 27.49 \(\mathrm{kJ} / \mathrm{mol}\) . Calculate the heat required to convert 35.0 \(\mathrm{g}\) of \(\mathrm{C}_{2} \mathrm{Cl}_{3} \mathrm{F}_{3}\) from a liquid at \(10.00^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\) to a gas at \(105.00^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\) .

List the three states of matter in order of (a) increasing molecular disorder and (b) increasing intermolecular attraction. (c) Which state of matter is most easily compressed?

Describe the intermolecular forces that must be overcome to convert these substances from a liquid to a gas: (a) SO \(_{2}\) (b) \(\mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{COOH},(\mathbf{c}) \mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{S}\) .

Liquid butane \(\left(\mathrm{C}_{4} \mathrm{H}_{10}\right)\) is stored in cylinders to be used as a fuel. The normal boiling point of butane is listed as \(-0.5^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\) . (a) Suppose the tank is standing in the sun and reaches a temperature of \(35^{\circ} \mathrm{C}\) . Would you expect the pressure in the tank to be greater or less than atmospheric pressure? How does the pressure within the tank depend on how much liquid butane is in it? (b) Suppose the valve to the tank is opened and a few liters of butane are allowed to escape rapidly. What do you expect would happen to the temperature of the remaining liquid butane in the tank? Explain. (c) How much heat must be added to vaporize 250 \(\mathrm{g}\) of butane if its heat of vaporization is 21.3 \(\mathrm{kJ} / \mathrm{mol}\) ? What volume does this much butane occupy at 755 torr and \(35^{\circ} \mathrm{C} ?\)

See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Chemistry Textbooks

View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free