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Latent Heat, Latent Heat of Vaporization | Physics@TutorVista.com

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LatentHeat
LatentHeatDefinition
LatentHeatFormula
LatentHeatof
Vaporization
LatentHeatof
Condensation
LatentHeatofFreezing
LatentHeatofFusion
LatentHeatofMelting

Physics Heat LatentHeat

LatentHeat

Whenweboilwatertoevaporateitthenwhatweobserve.Weobservethatwhenwe

LatentHeatofSublimation

boilwatertoevaporateitat100C,thenallthegivenheatisabsorbedbytheliquid.

LatentHeatFlux

This absorbed heat is called latent heat of vaporization and taken by vapour

LatentHeatvsSensible
Heat
LatentHeatsof
Substances

molecules. Similarly, when we melt ice then it is converted into water because ice
moleculesabsorbthisheat.Thisiscalledlatentheatoffusion.
Thus,wecansaythattheamountofabsorbedorreleasedheatiscalled latent heat.
Thisheatisreleasedorabsorbedduringphysicalchange.Itisnamedaccordingtothe
process of physical change. It is expressed as per mole amount of released or

RelatedConcepts
definelatentheat
LatentHeatAnimation
ChangeofStateandSpecific
LatentHeatAnimation

LMUCaptivePortal
Username

absorbed heat taken by substance. It can be done with change in temperature or

without change in temperature or phase change process. Lets discuss the detail
descriptionoflatentheatanditsdifferenttypesduringdifferentstages.

LatentHeatDefinition

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When energy is transferred to a substance, usually, temperature of the substance

ConsequencesofLatentHeatof
FusionIceAnimation

increases. If the substance is at higher temperature then the surroundings,

LatentHyperopia

substance to the surroundings. From this we can conclude that a substance

HeatAnimation

temperature of the substance decreases, as heat is transferred from the system or

undergoes change in temperature whenever flow of energy transfer between system
anditssurroundingstakesplace.

HeatEngines

But there are scenarios during which energy transfer between system and its
HeatLoss

surroundingsdoesnotresultinthechangeintemperatureofthesystem.Thisoccurs
whenever system changes from one of its phase to the another or we can say that
when the transfer of energy results in the change in the physical properties of the

RelatedFormulas

system. This change is termed as Phase Change or Phase Transition. Two main
Phasetransitionsare,

LatentHeatofVaporization
Equation
EquationforHeat

1. SolidtoLiquid
2. LiquidtoGas

EquationforHeatofFusion

Other phase transition is when change takes place in the crystalline structure of the

EquationforHeatTransfer

changeintheinternalenergyofthesystemtakesplace.

solid.WhenphaseTransitionoccurstemperatureofthesystemdoesnotchangebut

Attheboilingpointofthewaterwhenheatistransferredtothewateritresultsinthe

RelatedCalculators

breakingofmolecularbondsinwater.Asaresult,themoleculesbecomeapartastheir
potentialandkineticenergiesgetincreasedandwatergetsconvertedtothegaseous

HeatCalculator
HeatCapacityCalculator
HeatTransferCalculator

state.Everysubstancehasdifferentmolecularandatomicstructure.So,forthephase
transition to occur every substance requires different amount of energy depending on
their internal structure. It also depends on the mass of substance involved for the
phase transition. The substance of a particular type with larger quantity and mass

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HowtoCalculateSpecificHeat

Latent Heat, Latent Heat of Vaporization | Physics@TutorVista.com

requiresmoreheatforphasetransitionascomparedtotheother.Ittakeslessenergy
toboilwaterincookingpanthantoboilalake.
If a Q amount of energy needs to be transferred for phase change of a substance
havingmassm,theratiosymbolizesanimportantpropertyofthatsubstance.Asthe
energyaddedorremovedisnotresultinginthechangeoftemperature,thequantityL
is termed as the latent heat. It can also be termed as the hidden heat of the
substance.
Latentheatforasubstancedependsmainlyontwofactors:

1. PhasechangeNature
2. Properties(atomic,molecularstructureofthesubstance)

LatentHeatFormula

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Fromthedefinition,itisclearthattheamountofheatrequiredforaphasetransitionis
latentheat.Themathematicalrepresentationofthegivenstatementis,
Q = mL

L=

Q
m

Where,
L=Latentheatofthesubstance
Q=AmountofenergytransferredforthePhasechange
m=Massofthesubstance

LatentHeatofVaporization

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Latent heat of Vaporization is the Latent heat (explained above) when phase of the
substance changes from Liquid to gaseous state. Latent heat of vaporization is
denotedbyLV.

LatentHeatofCondensation

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LatentHeatofCondensationisdefinedasthequantityofheatneedstobetransferred
to convert a unit mass of a substance in gaseous phase into liquid phase at its
condensationpointatoneatmospherepressure.

L=

Q
m

KCal/Kg

LatentHeatofFreezing

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Latent Heat of Freezing is defined as the quantity of heat needs to be transferred to

convert a unit mass of a substance in liquid phase into solid phase at its freezing
point,atoneatmospherepressure.
L=

Q
m

KCalorie/Kg

LatentHeatofFusion

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LatentHeatofFusionisthelatentheat(explainedabove)whenphaseofthe
substancechangesfromSolidtoLiquidphase.LatentheatofFusionisdenotedbyLF.
Alsofusemeansmelting.
ForaparticularsubstanceLatentheatofVaporizationisgenerally
greaterthanitsLatentheatofFusion.

LatentHeatofMelting

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Latent Heat, Latent Heat of Vaporization | Physics@TutorVista.com

Latent Heat of Melting is defined as the quantity of heat needs to be transferred to
convertaunitmassofasubstanceinsolidphaseintoliquidphaseatitsmeltingpoint,
atoneAtmospherepressure.Itcanbeexpressedas,
L=

Q
m

Calorie/gmorKCalorie/Kg

LatentHeatofSublimation

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LatentHeatofSublimationisdefinedasthequantityofheatneedstobetransferredto
convertaunitmassofasubstanceinsolidphaseintogasphasewithoutpassingthe
substancethroughtheintermediatestateofLiquid,anddirectlytothegaseousphase
atitssublimationpointandatoneatmospherepressure.

LatentHeatFlux

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LatentHeatFluxisdenotedbyQewhenwaterevaporates,itremovessignificant
amountsofheat.Theenergythatisaddedtobreakthehydrogenbondstoallow
evaporationisremovedbythewatervapor.ItcanbecalculatedwiththehelpofBulk
Formula,

Qe

= a LE C L U10 (qa

qs )

Where,
a

=DensityOfair(1.2kg/m3)

LE

=LatentHeatofvaporization(2260kJ/kg)

CL

=Bulktransfercoefficient(StantonNumber)

U10

=Windspeedat10m

qa

=specificHumidityatsaturation

qs

=specificHumidityofoverlyingair

LatentHeatvsSensibleHeat

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LatentHeatistheheatwhichisrequiredtochangethephaseof
substancefromonestatetoother.Andintheotherhand,
SensibleHeatistheheatwhichisaddedortheheatwhichis
removedanditistheheatwhichchangesthetemperature.

SensibleHeat

Whenenergyorheatistransferredtothesubstance,itresultsinincreaseinits
temperature.Theincreaseintheheatofthesubstanceiscalledsensibleheat.
Similarly,whenheatistransferredfromthesubstancetoitssurroundings,heatis
removedfromthesubstanceandresultsindecreaseinthetemperatureofthesystem.
Theheatremovedfromthesubstanceisalsosensibleheat.Heat,becauseofwhich
changeintemperatureofthesubstancetakesplace,iscalledsensibleheat.
LatentHeat

IncontrasttoSensibleHeat,Latentheatdoesnotchangethetemperatureofthe
systembutitresultsintransitionofthephaseofthesubstancefromonephaseinto
other.

LatentHeatsofSubstances

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LatentHeatofWater,LatentHeatofIceandLatentHeatofSteamaregiveninthe
tablesbelow.LatentHeatofFusionandLatentHeatofVaporizationfordifferent
substancesaregiveninthebelowtables.
Table1:

Substance

Melting

LatentHeatOf

Boiling

LatentheatOf

Point(C)

Fusion(J/kg)

Point(C)

Vaporization(J\kg)

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Latent Heat, Latent Heat of Vaporization | Physics@TutorVista.com

Helium

269.65

5.23103

268.93

2.09104

Nitrogen

209.97

2.5510

195.81

2.01105

Oxygen

218.79

1.38104

182.97

2.13105

114

1.04105

78

8.54105

0.00

3.33105

100.00

2.26106

119

3.8110

444.60

3.26105

327.3

2.4510

1750

8.70105

660

3.97105

2450

1.14107

Silver

960.80

8.8210

2193

2.33106

Gold

1063.00

6.4410

2660

1.58106

1083

1.34105

1187

5.06106

Ethyl
Alcohol
Water
Sulphur
Lead
Aluminum

Copper

Table2:

Substance

LatentHeatof MeltingPoint

LatentheatOf
Vaporization(J\kg)

Boiling Point (C)

Fusion(kJ/kg)

(C)

Alcohol,Ethyl

108

114

855

78.3

Ammonia

339

75

1369

33.34

Carbondioxide

184

78

574

57

21

268.93
253

Helium
Hydrogen(2)

58

259

455

Lead[6]

24.5

327.5

871

1750

Nitrogen

25.7

210

200

196

Oxygen

13.9

219

213

183

R134a

101

215.9

26.6

Toluene

93

351

110.6

Turpentine
Water

293
334

2260

SpecificHeat

100

HeatTransfer

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