Boiling point, temperature at which the pressure exerted by the surroundings upon

a liquid is equaled by the pressure exerted by the vapour of the liquid; under this
condition, addition of heat results in the transformation of the liquid into its vapour
without raising the temperature. At any temperature a liquid partly vaporizes into
the space above it until the pressure exerted by the vapour reaches a characteristic
value called the vapour pressure of the liquid at that temperature. As the
temperature is increased, the vapour pressure increases; at the boiling point,
bubbles of vapour form within the liquid and rise to the surface.
A liquid's boiling point can be determined using the capillary method, where an
inverted capillary is placed in the liquid of interest and the liquid is heated. As the
temperature increases, the air in the capillary escapes and is replaced by the vapor
of the liquid. The vapor pressure in the capillary increases with temperature. Once
it exceeds the atmospheric pressure, the vapor escapes the capillary in a stream of
bubbles. When the heat is removed, the liquid cools, and the vapor pressure in the
capillary decreases. When the vapor pressure reaches the atmospheric pressure, the
liquid begins to fill the capillary. The temperature at which this occurs is the
boiling point.
the boiling point is considered as a criterion of purity of a compound and is useful
for identification of organic compounds. Similar to the melting point the boiling
point may be sharp or may vary over a temperature range. Pure liquids have sharp
boiling points while mixtures show a boiling point range. The atmospheric
pressure plays an important role in determination of the boiling point correctly.
Reduction of the pressure leads to a decrease or a depression in the boiling point
and vice versa.