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States of Matter & Gas Laws

Condensation

The change of a substance from the gaseous to the liquid state, accompanied by the release of latent heat.

Unit kJ/mol

In depth

Condensation occurs when a vapour is cooled below its dew point or compressed above its saturation pressure, so molecules no longer have enough kinetic energy to escape intermolecular attraction. The latent heat released is what makes steam burns so much more severe than boiling-water burns.

Examples in the real world

Dew forming on grass at dawn; water beading on a cold glass; steam condensing in a distillation condenser.