Definition

Noun: - Physics/Chemistry: The heat energy released when a unit mass of a substance in its gaseous (vapor) state changes phase into its liquid state at its boiling point (under constant pressure). This is a latent heat, meaning the energy is released without a change in temperature.

Usage

• This term is used specifically in scientific contexts, particularly in thermodynamics, physics, and chemistry, to describe the energy change during the phase transition from gas to liquid.
• It is a precise measurement, typically expressed in units like joules per kilogram (J/kg) or calories per gram (cal/g).

Examples

• heat of condensation
• heat of condensation
• heat of condensation

Advanced Usage

• Scientific Principle: The heat of condensation is numerically equal in magnitude to the heat of vaporization for the same substance, but opposite in sign (one is released, the other is absorbed). This is a key concept in the conservation of energy during phase changes.
• Meteorological Application: The release of heat of condensation from water vapor in the atmosphere is a primary driver of weather phenomena, providing the energy that fuels thunderstorms and hurricanes.

Variants and Related Words

• Latent Heat: A broader term for the heat absorbed or released during a phase change without a temperature change. The heat of condensation is a type of latent heat.
• Heat of Vaporization (or Enthalpy of Vaporization): The heat energy required to convert a unit mass of a liquid into a gas at its boiling point. It is equal in magnitude to the heat of condensation.
• Condensation: The physical process of a gas turning into a liquid, during which the heat of condensation is released.

Synonyms

• Enthalpy of Condensation (more formal thermodynamic term).
• Latent Heat of Condensation.

Related Phrases/Idioms

(This is a precise scientific term, so it is not commonly used in idiomatic expressions. Its usage is strictly technical.)

Noun

1. heat liberated by a unit mass of gas at its boiling point as it condenses into a liquid
   • the heat of condensation is equal to the heat of vaporization