Question

Using the phase diagram for water, what phase is water at 0.01 degrees Celsius and 0.0060 atmospheres?

Answer 1

Answer: at 0.01 °C and 0.0060 atm the three phases (solid, liquid and gas)


Explanation:


1) Water at 0.0060 atm and 0.01° C is at its triple point.


2) The triple point is the point in the phase diagram at which the three physical states coexist: gas, liquid and solid.

3) That means that water can freeze and boil at the same time. In fact they can happen any of the six changes of phase: freezing (liquid to solid), melting (solid to liquid), evaporation (liquid to gas), condensation (gas to liquid), sublimation (solid to gas), and deposition (gas to solid).

The phase diagram is unique for any substance, meaning that it is different for different substances: the normal boiling and melting points are different.