Out of Thin Air: Exploring Phase Changes

This Activity illustrates sublimation/deposition with dichlorobenzene (mothballs) and evaporation/condensation with water. This Activity could be used to introduce the phases of matter and phase changes at both the macroscopic and microscopic levels. For advanced students, the Activity could accompany a discussion of the thermodynamics of phase changes, calculations of enthalpies of sublimation and evaporation, and phase diagrams. It can also introduce crystals and their formation.