Free interactive chemistry · SIM-STATE-001
Particle model of states
100 g of ice is heated from −20 °C. You watch the particles and the heating curve at the same time.
Open the interactive simulation →How to use this simulation
- Press “Heat” (play) to start adding energy.
- Watch the particles: vibrating in the solid, sliding in the liquid, flying apart in the gas.
- Follow the heating curve in the “Curve” panel as energy is added.
- Pause at any point and read the state and the energy added.
What to notice
- The flat parts of the curve are melting and boiling: energy breaks attractions instead of raising the temperature.
- Boiling needs about seven times more energy than melting, because the particles are pulled completely apart.
Try this
Pause exactly halfway through melting. What is the temperature, and why doesn’t it change?
Try it for free →