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In chemistry and physics, volatility is a term used to characterize the tendency of a substance to vaporize.[1] It is directly related to a substance' s vapor pressure. At a given temperature, a substance with a higher vapor pressure will vaporize more readily than a vapor with a lower vapor pressure.[2][3][4]

In common usage, the term applies primarily to liquids. However, it may also be used to characterize the process of sublimation by which certain solid substances such as solid carbon dioxide (CO2 (referred to as dry ice) and ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) change directly from their solid form to a vapor without becoming a liquid.



References

  1. Note: To vaporize means to become a vapor.
  2. Gases and Vapor (University of Kentucky website)
  3. James G. Speight (2006). The Chemistry and Technology of Petroleum, 4th Edition. CRC Press. ISBN 0-8493-9067-2. 
  4. Kister, Henry Z. (1992). Distillation Design, 1st Edition. McGraw-hill. ISBN 0-07-034909-6.