What is the term used to describe the change from liquid to vapor?

The term that describes the change from liquid to vapor is vaporization. This process occurs when molecules in a liquid gain enough energy to break free from their intermolecular bonds and enter the gaseous phase. Vaporization can happen in two ways: evaporation, which occurs at the surface of a liquid at any temperature, and boiling, which occurs throughout the liquid at a specific temperature known as the boiling point.

Vaporization is key in various real-world applications, such as in meteorology, where it plays a crucial role in the water cycle, and in industrial processes where liquids are converted to gases for transportation or reaction purposes. Understanding vaporization is vital for fields that deal with thermodynamics and phase changes, as it underscores the relationship between temperature, pressure, and phase states of matter.