Exercise: Phase Diagram

1. The diagram shown below is the phase diagram for substance W.

(a) Mark the areas representing the vapour, liquid and solid phases.
(b) What is the significance of points O and G?
(c) What is the physical state of substance W at 27 oC and 15 kPa?
(d) Explain the phase change if substance W at point X is heated to 400 oC at
constant pressure.
(e) What do you understand by the term ‘sublime’?
(f) Which line represents the sublimation of W?

4. Below are some important points on the phase diagram for carbon dioxide.

Triple point Critical point Sublimation

Temperature/oC -57 31 -78
Pressure / atm 5 73 1

(a) Sketch the phase diagram for carbon dioxide and label all the important points
and phases.
(b) Carbon dioxide can be stored in containers in the liquid form.
What temperature and pressure are necessary inside these containers for the
carbon to exist in the liquid form?

5. Solid helium has the same density as liquid helium. Sketch and label the phase
diagram of helium.

6. The phase diagram for water is shown below. Atmospheric pressure may be taken
to be 1.0 x 105 Pa.
(a) (i) What does the line PR represent?
(ii) What is unusual about line PR?
(iii) Explain your answer for (ii).

(b) A sample of water is at the conditions of point Y. What change would you
expect to observe,
i. if the temperature was steadily lowered to -10 oC, but the pressure kept
constant.
ii. if the pressure was steadily increased to above 1.0 x 105 Pa, but the
temperature kept constant.
(c) A spaceship recorded a temperature of -50 oC and an atmospheric pressure of
888 Pa on the planet Mars. In what physical state would water exist at these
conditions? Explain your answer.
Answer

1. Describe the following terms :

(a) Phase.
A phase is any part of a system, which is homogenous and separated from
other parts of the system by a distinct boundary
(b) Closed system
A closed system is one in which there is no loss or gain of materials to or from
the surroundings.
(c) Equilibrium
Equilibrium is the state at which the properties of a system do not change with
time.
2. What do you understand by the terms :
(a) Melting point.
Melting point is the temperature at which a solid is in equilibrium with its liquid
at a given pressure.
(b) Boiling point.
Boiling point is the temperature at which a liquid is in equilibrium with its
vapour at a given pressure.
3. The diagram shown below is the phase diagram for substance W

(a) Mark the areas representing the vapour, liquid and solid
phases.
 (b) What is the significance of points O and G?
O is the triple point and G is the critical point.
Triple point is the conditions of temperature and pressure at
which the solid phase, liquid phase and gas phase of the
substance can exist together at equilibrium.
Critical point is the conditions of temperature and pressure
beyond which the liquid and gas phases merge and become
indistinguishable.
(c) What is the physical state of substance W at 27 oC and 15
kPa?
Solid state.
(d) Explain the phase change if substance W at point X is
heated to 400 oC at constant pressure.
At point X, substance W exists as a solid. When substance
W is heated, it will reach a state where the solid and liquid
W are at equilibrium (on line OF). After this, substance W
will exist as a liquid. When the temperature reaches the line
OG, W will exist as liquid and gas in equilibrium.
When the temperature rises, the substance W will exist as a
gas.
At 400 oC, substance W would exist as a gas.
(e) What do you understand by the term ‘sublime’?
When a substance changes directly from a solid to a gas, it
is said to sublime.

(f) Which line represents the sublimation of W?

Curve OH

4. Below are some important points on the phase diagram for

carbon dioxide.

Triple point Critical point Sublimation

 Temperature/oC -57 31 -78
Pressure / atm 5 73 1

(a) Sketch the phase diagram for carbon dioxide and label all the important points
and phases.

(b) Carbon dioxide can be stored in containers in the liquid form.

What temperature and pressure are necessary inside these containers for the
carbon to exist in the liquid form?
The pressure in the container must be higher than 5 atm and the temperature
must be higher than -57 oC but lower than 31 oC.
5. Solid helium has the same density as liquid helium. Sketch and label the phase
diagram of helium.

6. The phase diagram for water is shown below. Atmospheric pressure may be taken
to be 1.0 x 10 Pa.
5
(a) (i) What does the line PR represent?

PR represents the conditions of temperature and pressure where solid and

liquid water can exist together at equilibrium. This line represents the variation
of the melting point of water with pressure.
(ii) What is unusual about line PR?

It has a negative gradient.

(iii) Explain your answer for (ii).

It means that the melting point of water decreases with increasing pressure.
When water changes from liquid state to solid state, its volume increases.
(b) A sample of water is at the conditions of point Y. What change would you
expect to observe,
i. if the temperature was steadily lowered to -10 oC, but the pressure kept
constant.

The substance would change from a gas to a solid.

ii. if the pressure was steadily increased to above 1.0 x 10 Pa, but the
5

temperature kept constant.

The substance would condense from a gas to a liquid.

(c) A spaceship recorded a temperature of -50 oC and an atmospheric pressure of

888 Pa on the planet Mars. In what physical state would water exist at these
conditions? Explain your answer.
Water would exist as a solid. These conditions of temperature and pressure
are found in the area representing the solid phase in the phase diagram of
water.
 Chemistry Form Six
Exercise : Phase Diagram

1. The diagram shown above is the phase diagram for substance W.

(a) Mark the areas representing the vapour, liquid and solid phases.
(b) What is the significance of points O and G?
(c) What is the physical state of substance W at 27 oC and 15 kPa?
(d) Explain the phase change if substance W at point X is heated to 400 oC at constant
pressure.
(e) What do you understand by the term ‘sublime’?
(f) Which line represents the sublimation of W?

2. Below are some important points on the phase diagram for carbon dioxide.

Triple point Critical point Sublimation

Temperature / oC - 57 32 - 78
Pressure / atm 5 73 1

(a) Sketch the phase diagram for carbon dioxide and label all the important points and
phase.
(b) Carbon dioxide can be stored in containers in the liquid form. What temperature and
pressure are necessary inside these containers for the carbon to exist in the liquid form?

3.. Solid helium has the same density as liquid helium. Sketch and label the phase diagram of
helium.

4. The phase diagram for water is shown below. Atmospheric pressure may be taken to be 1.0 x
105 Pa.
 (a) (i) What does the line PR represent
(ii) What is unusual about line PR?
(iii) Explain your answer for (ii) .
(b) A sample of water is at the conditions of point Y. What change would you expect to
observe :
(i) If the temperature was steadily lowered to –10 oC, but the pressure kept
constant
(ii) If the pressure was steadily increased to above 1.0 x 10 5 Pa, but the
temperature kept constant.
(c) A spaceship recorded a temperature of -50 oC and an atmospheric pressure of 888 Pa
on the planet Mars. In what physical state would water exist at these conditions?
Explain your answer.

5. (a) The table below list the temperature and pressure for the critical point and triple point of a
substance X.

[4]
(b) Calculate the freezing point of X, in oC, under a pressure 75 atm. [2]

(c) Explain why the freezing point of X increases with pressure. [1]

(d) Solid X is known as dry ice.

(i) How can liquid X be obtained from dry ice. [1]
(ii) State one industrial use of dry ice. [2]
Answer

12(a) The melting point of X under a pressure of 5 atm is -57oC.

The increase in melting point from 5 to 75 atm = (75 – 5) x 2 = 14oC
10
The melting point of X at 75 atm = - 57 + 14 = - 43 oC

(b) This is because when solid X melts, the volume increase.

[Note : X(s) → X(l) Volume increases ]
When the pressure is increased, according to Le Chatelier’s principle, the above equilibrium
will shift to the left-hand side so as to decrease the volume of the system.
Hence, it is more difficult for X to melt under higher pressure.

(c) (i) The pressure on the block of dry ice must be above 5 atm and the temperature
above – 57 oC.
(ii) Dry ice is used in the food industry to cool food such as ice cream.
[Note : This is because dry ice will not melt at room conditions but will sublime. Therefore it
will not melt and wet the food or contaminate the food.
Answer : Phase Diagram

1. (a)

(b) O is the triple point and G is the critical point.

Triple point is the conditions of temperature and pressure at which the solid
phase, liquid phase and gas phase of the substance can exist together at
equilibrium.

Critical point is the conditions of temperature and pressure beyond which the
liquid and gas phases merge and become indistinguishable.

(c) Solid state.

(d) At point X, substance W exists as a solid.

When substance W is heated, it will reach a state where the solid and liquid
W are at equilibrium (on line OF).
After this, substance W will exist as a liquid. When the temperature reaches
the line OG, W will exist as liquid and gas in equilibrium.
When the temperature rises, the substance W will exist as a gas.
At 400 oC, substance W would exist as a gas.

(e) When a substance changes directly from a solid to a gas, it is said to sublime.
(f) Curve OH
2. (a)

(b) The pressure in the container must be higher than 5 atm and the temperature
must be higher than -57 o C but lower than 31 oC.
3.
4 (a) (i) PR represents the conditions of temperature and pressure where solid
and liquid water can exist together at equilibrium. This line represents the
variation of the melting point of water with pressure.
(ii) it has a negative gradient.
(iii) It means that the melting point of water decreases with increasing
pressure. When water changes from liquid state to solid state, its volume
increases.
(b) (i) The substance would change from a gas to a solid.

(ii) The substance would condense from a gas to a liquid.

(c) Water would exist as a solid. These conditions of temperature and pressure
are found in the area representing the solid phase in the phase diagram of
water.

Answer

1. Phases of a system
1.1 a..
2. Phase diagrams
2.1 a.

2.3

2.4 a. i.
b. i.
c.

….……………………………………………………………….

1 Glucose is completely miscible with water.

(a) Sketch a labeled vapour pressure –temperature graph for pure water and and
aqueous glucose on the same axis

(b) Based on the diagram you have drawn in (i) above, explain qualitatively the
effect on the vapour pressure and the boiling point of water when glucose is
dissolved in it.

(c) Outline how you would separate aqueous glucose into its components
[11 marks]
[STPM 1999, ESSAY Q4]