What is Condensation?
[[File:condensation on water bottle.jpg|right|thumbnail|[[Water vapor]] condenses into a liquid after making contact with the surface of a cold bottle.]] '''Condensation''' is how [[gas]] changes into a [[liquid]] when it touches a cooler surface. Condensation is part of the [[water cycle]]. It is the opposite of [[evaporation]].<ref>{{GoldBookRef|title=condensation ''in atmospheric chemistry''|file=C01235}}</ref> == Process == Condensation of water is when water changes from [[gas]] to a [[liquid]] or [[crystal]] shape. Any gas can condense, either because the temperature is dropping or the [[pressure]] is increasing. In either case the pressure of the condensing gas is higher than the [[vapor pressure]] of the gas, at that temperature.<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=http://goldbook.iupac.org/C01235.html|chapter=condensation in atmospheric chemistry|doi=10.1351/goldbook.C01235 |title=The IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology |year=2014 }}</ref> During condensation, the [[molecules]] in the matter slow down. Heat energy is taken away, causing the state of matter to change. Condensation is [[exothermic]]. This means that condensation makes the temperature go '''up'''. [[Evaporation]] is the opposite and causes a temperature '''loss'''. It is a useful [[wikt:process|process]]. One use is in [[distillation]]. The gas made from a boiling liquid mix is sent to a condenser, where the different parts condense differently. This can purify a liquid, such as [[alcohol]] or [[water]]. The condensing liquid makes heat, which must be removed for the condensation to continue. == Related pages == * [[Desalination]] == References == {{reflist}} == Other websites == * [http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/icats/ International Consortium of Advanced Technologies and Security at SDSU] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070911025312/http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/icats/ |date=2007-09-11 }} * [https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0306-2619(99)00071-9 ScienceDirect - Heat transfer and evaporation in geothermal desalination units] * [[citiz