Phase transition
transitions between solid, liquid and gaseous states of matter, and, in rare cases, plasma
In physics, chemistry and biology, a phase transition (or phase change) is the physical process of transition between one state of a medium and another. Commonly the term is used to refer to changes among the basic states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas, and in rare cases, plasma. A phase of a thermodynamic system and the states of matter have uniform physical properties. During a phase transition of a given medium, certain properties of the medium change as a result of the change of external conditions, such as temperature or pressure. This can be a discontinuous change; for example, a liquid may become gas upon heating to its boiling point, resulting in an abrupt change in volume. The identification of the external conditions at which a transformation occurs defines the phase transition point.
Types
States of matter
Phase transitions refer to when a substance transforms between one of the four states of matter to another. At the phase transition point for a substance, for instance the boiling point, the two phases involved, have identical free energies and therefore are equally likely to exist. Below the boiling point, the liquid is the more stable state of the two, whereas above the boiling point the gaseous form is the more stable.
Common transitions between the solid, liquid, and gaseous phases of a single component, due to the effects of temperature and/or pressure are identified in the following table:
For a single component, the most stable phase at different temperatures and pressures can be shown on a phase diagram.
“Phase transition” enters the record as transitions between solid, liquid and gaseous states of matter, and, in rare cases, plasma. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Phase, transition and transitions can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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