Why do all types of liquid boil when its vapour pressure is equal to the atmospheric pressure?

1 Answer
anor277
May 10, 2018

Because that is the definition of #"boiling point..."#

Explanation:

The boiling point of a liquid is defined by those conditions of temperature and pressure when the vapour pressure of the liquid is equal to the ambient pressure, and bubbles of vapour form directly in the liquid. The normal boiling point is specified when the ambient pressure is #"one atmosphere"#.

And so any liquid, at is normal boiling point, has a vapour pressure of #1*atm# precisely. And clearly this definition underlies the process of vacuum distillation, when the boiling point of a liquid is REDUCED such that the liquid boils at A LOWER temperature as compared to the normal boiling point...

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