What Is the Boiling Point of Water

The temperature at which the substance changes from the liquid to the gaseous state is known as the boiling point. To be more specific, the boiling point of a substance is the temperature at which both its liquid and vapor or gas states exist in equilibrium. The boiling point occurs only when heat is applied to the liquid substance; its temperature reaches a point where the liquid vapor pressure is the same as the surrounding gas pressure. When a substance reaches the boiling point, the temperature remains constant and does not increase further. During evaporation, the additional thermal energy that is distributed is absorbed as latent heat of vaporization and changes the liquid into vapor.

What does “boiling point” mean?

If the water is poured into a pot and left on the stove to overheat, it will automatically begin to boil. The phrase “boiling point” essentially means that water is passing from a liquid to a gaseous state at a rapid rate. Boiling water is characterized by energy bubbles and steam and is considered warm. Conventionally, the temperature at which the water boils is 100 degrees Celsius or 212 Fahrenheit but only at sea level. In this regard, the boiling point of water changes with a change in barometric pressure. When altitude increases, the boiling point of water decreases. For example, boiling water on Mount Everest is 68 degrees Celsius or 154 Fahrenheit.

Uses of boiling water

The boiling point of water is used for a variety of purposes, for example, it is useful for cooking vegetables, potatoes, pasta and much more. Furthermore, there are people who boil water in order to sterilize it so that it can be drinkable. Despite the fact that this method is effective, there are some precautionary methods that should be taken into consideration. First of all, most microorganisms and bacteria die when water is boiled, but in some cases, these organisms die depending on the temperature of the water rather than on boiling or not. However, the temperature of boiling water at different altitudes may not kill some microorganisms and bacteria. Secondly, some organisms are resistant to boiling water at any given temperature.

Factors that influence the boiling point of water

The boiling point of water depends on two factors; some impurities in the water and atmospheric pressure. As for atmospheric pressure, the boiling point of water decreases with higher altitudes. Some impurities in the water are another factor that influences its boiling point. For example, at a standard atmospheric pressure, pure water has a fixed boiling point. However, if impurities such as sodium chloride or common table salt are added to pure water, the boiling point of water changes. For this reason, boiling points are often used to determine the purity of the substance since pure substances normally have fixed boiling points.

by Abdullah Sam
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