"In chemistry, thermodynamics, and other related fields, a phase transition (or phase change) is the physical process of transition between one state of a medium and another."
The changes in the physical or chemical properties of a material due to changes in temperature, pressure, or other external factors.
Thermodynamics: The study of the relationships between the transfer of heat and work, and changes in the state of matter.
Critical Phenomena: A phase transition that occurs at a specific temperature at which a material becomes both a liquid and a gas.
Phase Diagrams: Graphical representations of the state of matter of a particular material as a function of temperature, pressure, and composition.
Order Parameters: An observable quantity that characterizes the degree of order or disorder in a material.
Kinetic Barrier: The energy required to initiate a phase transition.
Fluctuations: Random changes in the position, velocity, and other properties of particles within a material.
Nucleation: The process by which a small cluster of molecules or atoms forms within a supersaturated material.
Growth: The increase in size of a nucleated cluster over time.
Metastability: The ability of a material to remain in a non-equilibrium state for an extended period of time.
Homogeneous Nucleation: The formation of a new phase within a single homogeneous solution or vapor.
Heterogeneous Nucleation: The formation of a new phase at the interface between two different materials.
Critical Fluctuations: Large-scale changes in the properties of a material that occur near a phase transition.
Phase Coexistence: The occurrence of multiple phases within a single material.
Solidification: The process by which a liquid transforms into a solid.
Melting: The process by which a solid transforms into a liquid.
Vaporization: The process by which a liquid transforms into a gas.
Condensation: The process by which a gas transforms into a liquid.
Sublimation: The process by which a solid transforms directly into a gas.
Deposition: The process by which a gas transforms directly into a solid.
Glass Transition: The transition from a brittle, solid-like state to a more fluid-like state in a material that has been cooled rapidly.
Solid to Liquid Phase Transition: This is the most common phase transition, where a solid material is heated to a certain temperature, causing its particles to gain enough kinetic energy to move around and break free from their fixed positions, resulting in the formation of a liquid.
Liquid to Gas Phase Transition: This occurs when a liquid material is heated beyond its boiling point, causing its particles to gain enough energy to overcome the intermolecular forces between them and transform into gaseous form.
Solid to Gas Phase Transition: This is a direct transformation from a solid into a gas, bypassing the intermediate liquid phase. An example is the sublimation of dry ice.
Melting: It is the transition of matter from solid to liquid state at a fixed pressure.
Freezing: It is the reverse process of melting, where the transition takes place from the liquid state to the solid state.
Vaporization: It is the transition from the liquid state to the vapor state, either through boiling or evaporation.
Condensation: It is the opposite of vaporization, where the transition takes place from the vapor state to the liquid state.
Deposition: It is the transition from the vapor state to the solid state, bypassing the liquid state.
Recrystallization: It is the rearrangement of the crystal lattice structure of a solid to form a new crystal structure.
Glass Transition: It is the transition from a solid state to a viscous or rubbery state, intermediate between a solid and a liquid.
Spin Transition: It is a magnetic phase transition that occurs in materials with certain electronic configurations of their atoms.
Electrochemical Phase Transition: It is the reversible transition between two different states of a material, such as in batteries or electrochromic devices.
Order-Disorder Transition: It is the transition from an ordered state to a disordered state or vice versa, associated with a change in entropy.
Pressure-Induced Phase Transition: It is the transition from one phase to another that is induced by an increase in pressure.
Superconductivity: It is the abrupt change from a non-conducting state to a superconducting state at a certain temperature or pressure.
"Commonly the term is used to refer to changes among the basic states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas, and in rare cases, plasma."
"A phase of a thermodynamic system and the states of matter have uniform physical properties."
"During a phase transition of a given medium, certain properties of the medium change as a result of the change of external conditions, such as temperature or pressure."
"This can be a discontinuous change; for example, a liquid may become gas upon heating to its boiling point, resulting in an abrupt change in volume."
"The identification of the external conditions at which a transformation occurs defines the phase transition point."
"In chemistry, thermodynamics, and other related fields..."
"...in rare cases, plasma."
"During a phase transition of a given medium..."
"...certain properties of the medium change as a result of the change of external conditions..."
"...a liquid may become gas upon heating to its boiling point, resulting in an abrupt change in volume."
"A phase transition (or phase change) is the physical process of transition between one state of a medium and another."
"...a liquid may become gas upon heating to its boiling point, resulting in an abrupt change in volume."
"The identification of the external conditions at which a transformation occurs defines the phase transition point."
N/A (The paragraph doesn't explicitly mention reversibility)
"...thermodynamics, and other related fields..."
N/A (The paragraph states that external conditions cause the change)
"...a liquid may become gas upon heating to its boiling point, resulting in an abrupt change in volume."
N/A (The paragraph doesn't mention specific substances)
N/A (The paragraph implies phase transitions occur between different states of matter)