The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
The boiling point of a substance is the temperature at which the liquid boils. This is the temperature at which the vapor pressure of the liquid is the same as that of the atmosphere. When the boiling point is reached the chemical changes from the liquid to the gas or vapor phase. This change does not occur instantly as all molecules have to gain sufficient energy to change from one state of matter to another.
Different liquids have different boiling points due to their chemical make up. Any liquid that has a high number of hydrogen bonds will have an elevated boiling point because extra energy must be added into the system to break the hydrogen bonds. For example, water (H2O) has a boiling point of 212°F (100°C). Boiling points can also be altered by changes in pressure, the lower the pressure, the lower the boiling point, this is because the vapor pressure of the liquid at a lower atmospheric pressure does not have to be as high to become equal to that atmospheric pressure. Boiling points also can be altered by adding other chemicals to the liquid. The boiling point of water can be increased by several degrees by adding sodium chloride (common salt).