Question

Explain why the heat of fusion of any substance is generally lower than its heat of vaporization.

Short answer

In conclusion, the heat of fusion is generally lower than the heat of vaporization for any substance because of the difference in the amount of energy required to break the intermolecular bonds during each phase transition. More energy is needed to separate particles further in the vaporization process, whereas only partial bond breaking and rearrangement occurs during the fusion process.

Step-by-step solution

Define Heat of Fusion and Heat of Vaporization

Heat of fusion is the amount of energy required to change a substance from the solid phase to the liquid phase at its melting point without changing its temperature. Heat of vaporization is the amount of energy required to change a substance from the liquid phase to the gas phase at its boiling point without changing its temperature.

Describe Phase Transition Processes

During the phase transition from solid to liquid (fusion), the substance experiences a change in the arrangement and interaction of the particles (atoms, molecules, or ions) but they remain relatively close together. On the other hand, during the phase transition from liquid to gas (vaporization), the particles move much further apart since they will be in the gaseous phase, which has more space between particles than in the liquid phase. In other words, vaporization requires breaking more intermolecular bonds than fusion.

Explain the Energy Difference

Since intermolecular bonds need to be broken during phase transitions, it requires energy input to overcome the attractive forces between the particles. For fusion, only some bonds need to be broken as the particles rearrange and become more mobile but still stay relatively close together. However, for vaporization, more energy is needed to break a larger number of bonds, as the particles need to be separated further and enter the gaseous phase. This is why the heat of vaporization is generally higher than the heat of fusion.

Relate the Concepts to Real-life Examples

For example, consider water. The heat of fusion of water is approximately 333 J/g, while its heat of vaporization is much higher at approximately 2260 J/g. This reflects the fact that more energy is needed to break the strong hydrogen bonds present in liquid water in order to turn it into water vapor (gas) compared to the energy required to turn ice (solid) into liquid water. In conclusion, the heat of fusion is generally lower than the heat of vaporization for any substance because of the difference in the amount of energy required to break the intermolecular bonds during each phase transition. More energy is needed to separate particles further in the vaporization process, whereas only partial bond breaking and rearrangement occurs during the fusion process.