Melting, or fusion, is a physical process that results in the phase change of a substance from a solid to a liquid. The internal energy of a substance is increased, typically by the application of heat or pressure, resulting in a rise of its temperature to the melting point, at which the rigid ordering of molecular entities in the solid breaks down to a less-ordered state and the solid liquefies. An object that has melted completely is molten. Substances in the molten state generally have reduced viscosity with elevated temperature; an exception to this maxim is the element sulfur, whose viscosity increases with higher temperatures in its molten state.
Some organic compounds melt through mesophases, states of partial order between solid and liquid.
This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA
Sorry, no news articles match your request
About
Phys.org™ is a leading web-based science, research and technology news service which covers a full range of topics.
Phys.org is a part of Science X network. With a global reach of over 10 million monthly readers and featuring dedicated websites for science (Phys.org), technology (Tech Xplore) and medical research (Medical Xpress), the Science X network is one of the largest online communities for science-minded people.
Read moreIdentify the news topics you want to see and prioritize an order.
Science never stops. Get notified about trending stories.