Evaporation Definition and Examples

Evaporation is the process by which molecules undergo the a spontaneous transition from the liquid phase to the gas phase. Evaporation is the opposite of condensation. For evaporation to occur, molecules in a liquid must be near the surface, must be moving away from the body of the liquid, and must have enough kinetic energy to escape the interface. When molecules do escape, the average kinetic energy of the remaining molecules is lowered. This lowers the temperature of the liquid and is the basis for the phenomenon of evaporative cooling. Example The gradual drying of damp clothes is caused by the evaporation of water into water vapor. Source Silberberg, Martin A. (2006). Chemistry (4th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. pp. 431–434. ISBN 0-07-296439-1.