ACTIvITy

11-2 Phase Changes in Pure Substances

Why?
A phase diagram is a convenient way to represent which phase (solid, liquid, or gas) or combination
of phases is present at different temperatures and pressures. Knowing the relationship of tempera-
ture and pressure to a material’s phase is necessary in order to determine its suitability for a particu-
lar application (e.g., a high-temperature engine component or a cooking oil). Phase diagrams are
used, for example, to plan the synthesis of artificial diamonds and new materials, or to deduce the
history of geological samples. Additionally, knowledge of a material’s capacity to absorb energy in
a particular phase or while changing phases is essential to the temperature and stability of systems
involving chemical reactions and energy transfer.

learning objeCtives
Interpret the major features of a phase diagram
Interpret a heating or cooling curve to determine the physical and thermochemical properties of
a pure substance

suCCess Criteria
Identify stable phases, at particular temperatures and pressures, from a phase diagram
Use a phase diagram to identify the temperatures and pressures at which phase changes occur
Use a heating curve to determine a substance’s melting and boiling points, specific heat capacities
for each phase, and enthalpies associated with phase changes

prerequisites
06-1 Thermochemistry and Calorimetry
06-2 Internal Energy and Enthalpy

inFormation
A phase diagram summarizes the relationships between a substance’s phase, temperature, and
pressure. It represents a map of the states of matter for a pure substance. Within a pure phase, the
addition or removal of heat results in a change in temperature.
Boundary lines between pure phases represent the temperatures and pressures at which two
phases are in equilibrium. As a phase change or transition occurs across these boundary lines, the
temperature does not change until the phase change is complete.
A triple point marks the temperature and pressure where three boundary lines come together. At
these points, three phases are in equilibrium.
A phase diagram can be produced by observing the which phase of a substance is present under
specific temperature and pressure conditions, as heat energy is added to or removed from the
system. A heating curve is a plot of the temperature of the substance as a function of the energy
added. A cooling curve is a plot of the temperature as a function of the energy removed.
Measurement of the amount of energy transferred in a heating or cooling experiment makes it
possible to determine the enthalpies of fusion and vaporization for phase changes, as well as the
specific heat capacities of different pure phases.
5
 Foundations of Chemistry: 5th ed.

General Features of a Phase Diagram;

model 1 Hybrid Orbitals and Formal Charge

liquid C
solid structure I

F E D
B

Pressure A
in
gas
atm

solid structure II

Temperature in K

Key questions
1. What quantities are plotted on the x- and y-axes of a phase diagram?

2. a. How many different phases are shown by the phase diagram in the model?

b. What are the labels used to identify them?

3. What do the solid lines in a phase diagram represent?

4. a. How many triple points are visible in the phase diagram in Model 1?

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 b. What three phases are in equilibrium at each of them?

5. Starting at point A in the model phase diagram, what happens as the pressure increases at constant
temperature, following the dotted line to point C?

6. Starting at point B in the model phase diagram, what happens as the temperature decreases at
constant pressure, following the dotted line to point D, then to point E, and finally to point F?

model 2 General Features of a Heating Curve

Heating
HeatingCurve
Curve for
for One Mole
1 Mole atAtm
at 1 1 atm

500

400
e
300
T, K

200
c d
b
100 a
0
0 100 200 300 400 500
Energy added, kJ

11-2 Phase Changes in Pure Substances 7

 Foundations of Chemistry: 5th ed.

Key questions
7. What quantities are plotted on the x- and y-axes in a heating curve?

8. Which of the five line segments (labeled a through e) in the heating curve (Model 2) correspond to
the processes below?

heating the solid heating the liquid heating the gas

phase transition phase transition
between solid and liquid between liquid and gas

exerCises
1. The critical point in a phase diagram is where the boundary line between the liquid and gas phase
ends. Find and label the critical point in the phase diagram in Model 1.

2. Sketch a phase diagram for methanol (CH3OH) using the data in the following table.

Item Temperature Pressure

solid-liquid-gas triple point –97.7 °C 1.07 × 10–6 atm
melting point –97.6 °C 1.0 atm
boiling point 64.7 °C 1.0 atm
critical point 240 °C 78.5 atm

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3. Use the heating curve in Model 2 to estimate both the melting and boiling points of the substance.

4. Use the heating curve in Model 2 to estimate values for the following parameters of the substance.
Assume that the molar mass of the substance is 120 g/mol.
a. molar heat of fusion

b. molar heat of vaporization

c. specific heat capacity of the solid

( 110 kJ - 50 kJ ) ×
1000 J
×
1mol
= 8.33 J g -1 K -1
1mol ( 110 K - 50 K ) 1 kJ 120 g

d. specific heat capacity of the liquid

( 370 kJ - 210 kJ ) × 1000 J × 1mol = 8.9 g -1K -1

1mol ( 260 K - 110 K ) 1 kJ 120 g

e. specific heat capacity of the gas

( 480 kJ - 460 kJ ) × 1000 J × 1mol = 0.87 g -1K -1

1mol ( 450 K - 260 K ) 1 kJ 120 g

11-2 Phase Changes in Pure Substances 9