Topic-> MELC->Introduction -> Objectives-> Materials -> Procedure -> Data &

Results -> Guide questions -> Conclusions ->References

PHASE DIAGRAM
MELC
● The learners will be able to interpret the melting and freezing curve of a butter.
● The learners will be able to sketch and construct a phase diagram.
Introduction
Phase diagram is a graphical representation of the physical states of a substance
under different conditions of temperature and pressure. It is also a type of chart used to
show conditions at which thermodynamically distinct phases occur and coexist at
equilibrium. Each dot in this graphic represents a conceivable temperature and pressure
combination for the system. The solid, liquid, and gaseous states of the substance are
represented by three areas on the diagram. The range throughout which a particular
pure sample of matter resides as a particular phase can be seen using phase diagrams.
The diagram can be used to explain how changing these variables impacts a
substance's state of matter. The students will conduct an experiment that shows how
phase diagrams are used in demonstrating temperature and pressure.

ACTIVITY 1

Materials
● Small plastic cup with ¼ teaspoon of butter in it
● 2 Spoons
● Bowl for hot water
● Bowl for ice water
Procedure
1. Carefully push your cup with the butter a little way into the hot water cup.
2. Use the spoon to move the butter around in the bottom of the cup. If the
butter gets stuck on the spoon, use the other spoon to push the butter back
down into the cup.
 3. Keep the cup in the hot water and keep stirring until you see a change in the
butter. Keep stirring until the butter doesn’t change any more.
4. Take the cup out of the hot water and place it in the cup of ice water.
5. Keep the cup in the ice water and gently touch the butter with your spoon. If the
butter seems hard, scrape some up with the spoon.
Data & Results
GRAPH OF MELTING AND FREEZING CURVE

Melting Point 42.3

C
Meltin

Co
g

ol
Bu olid

Room temperature 25 C
r

ing
tte
S

Cooling Point 18.2 C

Freezing

1 minute 2
16 sec minutes
17 sec

TIME TEMPERATURE

MELTING 1 minute 16 seconds 42.3 C

COOLING 2 minutes 17 seconds 18.4 C

EXPLANATION
Butter is made up of fat molecules. The molecules in solid butter are close
together and do not move past one another. When the butter is heated, the molecules
begin to migrate and slide past one another, forming a liquid. When the liquid butter
cools, the molecules slow down and link, transforming it back into a solid.

Guide Questions
1. How do you think the butter will change if you heat it? Why do you think so?
 ● It will melt and be in a liquid state. Because of heat the butter melts
and loses compress molecules.
2. What did you see happen to the butter? How did you know it was a liquid?
● The butter became a liquid state. Because of its property that the
liquid state has.
3. Do you think the liquid butter would get hard again if you cooled it? Why do you
say so?
● It can be hard again because the molecules must compress and
form solid molecules.
4. Graph melting and cooling curve of the butter.
GRAPH NUNG MELTING AND
FREEZING CURVE

Melting Point 42.

3C
Melti
Co

ng
g
d oli

Room temperature25
ol
S

in
er tt

Cooling Point 18.2

C C
Bu

Freezi
ng

ACTIVITY 2: Construct Its Phase

Consider a substance that has a triple point at 0.10 atm and 155 K, a normal melting
point at 185 K, a normal boiling point at 255 K, and a critical point at 2.5 atm and 460
K on the phase diagram. The "usual" solid-liquid line (meaning positive sloping).
Complete the following tasks:

Roughly sketch the phase diagram, using units of atmosphere and Kelvin. Label the
area 1, 2, and 3, and points T and C on the diagram.
1. Describe what one would see at pressures and temperatures above 2.5 atm
and 460 K.
2. What exists in a system that is at 1 atm and 255 K?
3. What exists in a system that is at 1 atm and 185 K?
ANSWERS:

2.5 atm

1 atm

0.10 atm

155 K 185 K 255 K 455 K

1. Supercritical fluid exists in a state of matter that is continuously transformed

between liquid and gaseous state without any phase transition above 2 atm
and 455 K.
2. At 1 atm and 355 K, coexistence of liquid and gas phase will be observed as it
is the normal boiling point of the substance.
3. At 1 atm and 185 K, coexistence of liquid and gas phase will be observed as it
is the normal melting point of the substance.

Conclusion
Phase Diagram is a graphical representation under different conditions of
temperature and pressure. A phase diagram can be used to visualize how changing
thermodynamic factors affects the states/phases of matter that a material sample is
in. As our conclusion, changing simply the temperature, alone the pressure, or both
the temperature and the pressure can produce a change of state. Based on the
experiment that the students conducted, the butter melted when contacted in heat
and made up when contacted in cold. Those activities show that the temperature
dictates the physical state of butter because of its fat molecules that are vulnerable
and easily detach to each molecule. Moreover, in the graph shown in the results,
butter is melting and all the molecules detach and have space to each other. On the
other hand, butter is made up when going to its cooling point because all molecules
compressing and being more attached and form into solid state.