Increasing the total pressure above a liquid will cause the boiling point of the liquid to do what?

1 Answer
anor277
Nov 1, 2016

#"........will cause the boiling point to increase"#

Explanation:

By definition, the boiling point of a liquid is the temperature at which the vapour pressure of the liquid becomes equal to the ambient pressure, and bubbles of vapour form directly in the liquid. The normal boiling point is specified when the ambient pressure is #1*atm#, and thus the vapour pressure of the liquid must also be #1*atm#.

I agree that this is a mouthful, but it is an accurate definition of the boiling point, the transition #"liquid "rarr" gas"#.

And thus, if the ambient pressure is increased, the boiling point of the liquid will also increase.

In the reverse scenario, when the ambient pressure is reduced, a liquid can boil at lower temperatures. This is utilized in the technique of #"vacuum distillation"#, where a liquid can be distilled at lower temperatures under a high vacuum.

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