Knowledge Builders

what is the meaning of volatile in chemistry

by Prof. Oma Aufderhar DDS Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
image

Volatility describes how easily a substance will vaporize (turn into a gas or vapor). A volatile substance can be defined as (1) a substance that evaporates readily at normal temperatures and/or (2) one that has a measurable vapor pressure. The term volatile usually applies to liquids.Feb 6, 2022

Full Answer

What makes a chemical volatile?

What Types of Things Contain VOCs?

  • Household Items
  • Building Materials
  • Personal Care Products
  • Activities. Here’s a list of some of the most common VOCs (but this is definitely not a complete list). Formaldehyde: found all over the place!

What are examples of volatile chemicals?

Volatile Organic Compounds List Contains

  • Paints and coatings.
  • Chlorofluorocarbons and chlorocarbons.
  • Fossil fuels.
  • Benzene.
  • Methylene chloride.
  • Perchloroethylene.
  • Perchloroethylene.
  • Formaldehyde.

How to calculate volatility chemistry?

Volatility of a Liquid

  • Volatile liquids have low boiling points.
  • A liquid with a low boiling point will begin to boil faster than liquids with higher boiling points.
  • Much less energy (in the form of heat) is required to break the intermolecular bonds of a volatile liquid than those of liquids having higher boiling points.

More items...

What is an example of a volatile substance?

  • There are 60 grams of toluene and 40 grams of ethanol
  • Vapor pressure of pure toluene at 20 o C is 22 torr
  • Vapor pressure of pure methanol at 20 o C is 94 torr

image

Why is chemistry volatile?

In chemistry, the word "volatile" refers to a substance that vaporizes readily. Volatility is a measure of how readily a substance vaporizes or transitions from a liquid phase to a gas phase. The term can also be applied to the phase change from a solid state to vapor, which is called sublimation.

What is volatile and non volatile in chemistry?

volatile substances are those substances which convert into the form of vapour from solid and liquid. non volatile substance are those substances which do not convert in the form of vapour from solid and liquid.

What is the meaning of volatile solution?

A volatile solute produces vapour at the boiling point of the solution. At the same temperature, they have higher vapour pressure than non-volatile solutes. Examples: Alcohol, ether, mercury, and gasoline.

What is volatile chemistry class 12?

Volatility is the tendency of a substance to vaporize. Volatile substances: Volatile substances have the capability to go into the vapor phase. This may happen during heating or without heating. Volatility and the vapor pressure of a substance are related. If the volatility is high, the vapor pressure is also high.

Which is a volatile liquid?

A liquid that evaporates readily at normal temperature is known as a volatile liquid. Volatile liquids are liquids that transform easily into the vapor phase. Usually, the vapor pressure of volatile liquids is very high.

What does nonvolatile mean in chemistry?

1. chemistry. not turning readily into gaseous form.

What is non volatile acid in chemistry?

A nonvolatile acid (also known as a fixed acid or metabolic acid) is an acid produced in the body from sources other than carbon dioxide, and is not excreted by the lungs. They are produced from e.g. an incomplete metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.

What is volatile in chemistry?

Definition of Volatile. What is Volatility? A substance is said to be volatile if it boils at a low temperature, changing from the liquidto the gas phase. Substances that are gases at room temperature are extremely volatile: they have high volatility.

Why does a liquid boil?

A liquid boils when the pressure of its particles entering the gas phase rises to equal the surrounding atmospheric pressure. The nearer a liquid is to its boiling point, the higher its vapor pressure. Liquids with low boiling points have higher vapor pressures at any given temperature than liquids with high boiling points.

Does acetone have a higher boiling point than water?

Therefore, for example, acetone with a boiling point of 56 °C has a higher vapor pressure than water. At room temperature, acetone will enter the vapor phase to a greater extent than water.

What factors influence the volatility of a substance?

An important factor influencing a substance's volatility is the strength of the interactions between its molecules. Attractive forces between molecules are what holds materials together, and materials with stronger intermolecular forces, such as most solids, are typically not very volatile.

Why does volatility decrease with increasing molecular mass?

In general, volatility tends to decrease with increasing molecular mass because larger molecules can participate in more intermolecular bonding, although other factors such as structure and polarity play a significant role.

What is the tendency of a vapor to condense into a liquid or solid?

Volatility can also describe the tendency of a vapor to condense into a liquid or solid; less volatile substances will more readily condense from a vapor than highly volatile ones. Differences in volatility can be observed by comparing how fast a group of substances evaporate (or sublime in the case of solids) when exposed to the atmosphere. ...

How does temperature affect vapor pressure?

Increasing the temperature increases the amount of vapor that is formed and thus the vapor pressure. In a mixture, each substance contributes to the overall vapor pressure of the mixture, with more volatile compounds making a larger contribution.

What is distillation in petroleum?

When the vapors are collected, this process is known as distillation. The process of petroleum refinement utilizes a technique known as fractional distillation, which allows several chemicals of varying volatility to be separated in a single step.

What does high vapor pressure mean?

High vapor pressures indicate a high volatility, while high boiling points indicate low volatility. Vapor pressures and boiling points are often presented in tables and charts that can be used to compare chemicals of interest. Volatility data is typically found through experimentation over a range of temperatures and pressures.

What is the tendency of a substance to vaporize?

Tendency of a substance to vaporize. Bromine liquid readily transitions to vapor at room temperature, indicating a high volatility. In chemistry, volatility is a material quality which describes how readily a substance vapourises. In at a given temperature and pressure, a substance with high volatility is more likely to exist as a vapour, ...

What is volatile in science?

Back in the 14th century, volatile was a noun that referred to birds (especially wild fowl) or other winged creatures, such as butterflies. That's not as flighty as it sounds. Volatile traces back to the Latin verb volare, which means "to fly." By the end of the 16th century, people were using volatile as an adjective for things that were so light they seemed ready to fly. The adjective was soon extended to vapors and gases, and by the early 17th century, volatile was being applied to individuals or things as prone to sudden change as some gaseous substances. In recent years, volatile has landed in economic, political, and technical contexts far flown from its avian origins.

When did people use the word "volatile"?

By the end of the 16th century, people were using volatile as an adjective for things that were so light they seemed ready to fly. The adjective was soon extended to vapors and gases, and by the early 17th century, volatile was being applied to individuals or things as prone to sudden change as some gaseous substances.

Is memestop volatile?

These memestop and crypto markets are highly volatile. — Ryan Kost, San Francisco Chronicle, 24 June 2021 Collins also covered the Donald Trump presidency when the relationship between the national media and this administration was volatile, sometimes finding her network and even herself at the center of it.

What is volatile solvent?

1. evaporating rapidly; passing off readily in the form of vapor: Acetone is a volatile solvent. 2. tending or threatening to break out into open violence; explosive: a volatile political situation. 3. characterized by or liable to sharp or sudden changes; unstable: a volatile stock market.

What does "vaporized" mean?

1. Chemistry. a. Evaporating readily at normal temperatures and pressures. b. Capable of being readily vaporized. 2. a. Tending to vary often or widely, as in price: the ups and downs of volatile stocks.

What does "able to fly" mean?

7. Archaic. flying or able to fly. n. 8. a volatile substance, as a gas or solvent. [1250–1300; Middle English < Latin volātilis able to fly = volā (re) to fly + -tilis -tile] vol`a•til′i•ty (-ˈtɪl ɪ ti) vol′a•tile•ness, n.

What does "volatile" mean in science?

volatile. 1. (Chemistry) (of a substance) capable of readily changing from a solid or liquid form to a vapour; having a high vapour pressure and a low boiling point. 4. lasting only a short time: volatile business interests.

What is a volatile organic compound?

Volatile organic compounds are compounds that have a high vapor pressure and low water solubility. Many VOCs are human-made chemicals that are used and produced in the manufacture of paints, pharmaceuticals, and refrigerants.

Do paints contain solvents?

Paints, varnishes, and wax all contain organic solvents, as do many cleaning, disinfecting, cosmetic, degreasing, and hobby products. Fuels are made up of organic chemicals. All of these products can release organic compounds while you are using them, and, to some degree, when they are stored.

image

Overview

In chemistry, volatility is a material quality which describes how readily a substance vaporizes. At a given temperature and pressure, a substance with high volatility is more likely to exist as a vapour, while a substance with low volatility is more likely to be a liquid or solid. Volatility can also describe the tendency of a vapor to condense into a liquid or solid; less volatile substances will more readil…

Description

Volatility itself has no defined numerical value, but it is often described using vapor pressures or boiling points (for liquids). High vapor pressures indicate a high volatility, while high boiling points indicate low volatility. Vapor pressures and boiling points are often presented in tables and charts that can be used to compare chemicals of interest. Volatility data is typically found through experi…

Contributing factors

An important factor influencing a substance's volatility is the strength of the interactions between its molecules. Attractive forces between molecules are what holds materials together, and materials with stronger intermolecular forces, such as most solids, are typically not very volatile. Ethanol and dimethyl ether, two chemicals with the same formula (C2H6O), have different volatilities due t…

Applications

Knowledge of volatility is often useful in the separation of components from a mixture. When a mixture of condensed substances contains multiple substances with different levels of volatility, its temperature and pressure can be manipulated such that the more volatile components change to a vapor while the less volatile substances remain in the liquid or solid phase. The newly for…

See also

• Clausius–Clapeyron relation
• Distillation
• Fractional distillation
• Partial pressure
• Raoult's law

External links

• Volatility from ilpi.com
• Definition of volatile from Wiktionary

1.What Is a Volatile Substance in Chemistry? - ThoughtCo

Url:https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-volatile-604685

13 hours ago  · In chemistry, the word "volatile" refers to a substance that vaporizes readily. Volatility is a measure of how readily a substance vaporizes or transitions from a liquid phase to a gas phase. The term can also be applied to the phase change from a solid state to vapor, which is called sublimation.

2.Definition of Volatile - Chemistry Dictionary

Url:https://www.chemicool.com/definition/volatile.html

12 hours ago What is Volatility? A substance is said to be volatile if it boils at a low temperature, changing from the liquid to the gas phase. Substances that are gases at room temperature are extremely volatile: they have high volatility. They can only be seen as liquids when exposed to low temperatures or high pressures.

3.Volatility (chemistry) - Wikipedia

Url:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volatility_(chemistry)

36 hours ago Definition of volatile (Entry 2 of 2) : a substance that is readily vaporizable at relatively low temperature : a volatile substance. Other Words from volatile Synonyms & Antonyms The History of Volatile Is for the Birds More Example Sentences Phrases …

4.Volatile Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

Url:https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/volatile

28 hours ago Definition. Volatility describes how easily a substance will vaporize (turn into a gas or vapor). A volatile substance can be defined as (1) a substance that evaporates readily at normal temperatures and/or (2) one that has a measurable vapor pressure. The term volatile usually applies to liquids.

5.Volatile - definition of volatile by The Free Dictionary

Url:https://www.thefreedictionary.com/volatile

33 hours ago In chemicals, the term Volatile is used in the liquid form of substances. Volatility is the speed of a substance at which changes into a gaseous state. This refers to the ability of a liquid to evaporate quickly into the air. The substance that can easily become a gas even at room temperature is a “volatile substance.”

6.What are volatile organic compounds (VOCs)? | US EPA

Url:https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/what-are-volatile-organic-compounds-vocs

33 hours ago  · In Chemistry, volatile is the term used to describe how readily a liquid will evaporate into a gas; pentane is more volatile than octane.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9