Water is the most amazing substance on Earth. It is to her that we owe our lives, since she participates in all life processes. Water has the most unusual properties, and scientists have not yet been able to explain all of them. For example, it turned out that she has a memory and can respond to different words. And the most famous property of water is that it is the only substance that can be in all three states of aggregation. Liquid is actually water, solid is ice. We can constantly observe the gaseous state of water in the form of steam, fog or clouds. An ordinary person does not think about the fact that this is all water, he is used to calling this word only liquid. Many do not even know what the gaseous state of water is called. But it is precisely this feature that ensures life on Earth.
The value of water
This amazing moisture covers about 70% of the Earth's surface. In addition, it can be found at great depths - in the thickness of the earth's crust and high in the atmosphere. The entire mass of water in the form of liquid, ice and vapor is called the hydrosphere. She isvital to all forms of life on earth. It is under the influence of water that climate and weather are formed all over the world. And the existence of life depends on its ability to move from one state of aggregation to another. This feature ensures the water cycle in nature. Of particular importance is water in the gaseous state. This property of it helps to transfer large masses of moisture over long distances. Scientists have calculated that the Sun evaporates a billion tons of water from the Earth's surface in a minute, which is transferred to another place in the form of clouds, and then rains.
The gaseous state of water
A feature of water is that its molecules are capable of changing the nature of the bond with each other when the temperature fluctuates. Its main properties remain unchanged. If you heat water, its molecules begin to move faster. Those that come into contact with air break their bonds and mix with its molecules. Water in the gaseous state retains all its qualities, but also acquires the properties of a gas. Its particles are at a great distance from each other and move intensively. Most often, this state is called water vapor. It is a colorless transparent gas, which under certain conditions will again turn into water. It is ubiquitous on Earth, but most often it is not visible. Examples of water in its gaseous state are clouds, fog, or water vapor produced when a liquid boils. In addition, it is everywhere in the air. Scientists have noticed that when it is moistened, it becomes easier to breathe.lighter.
What is steam like?
Most often, water turns into a gaseous state when the temperature changes. Ordinary steam, which is familiar to everyone, is formed during boiling. It is this whitish hot cloud that we call water vapor. When a liquid reaches the boiling point when heated, and at ordinary pressure this occurs at 100 °, its molecules begin to evaporate intensively. When they fall on colder objects, they condense in the form of water droplets. If a large amount of liquid is heated, then saturated vapor is formed in the air. This is the state where gas and water coexist because the rate of evaporation and condensation is the same. In the case when there is a lot of water vapor in the air, they speak of its high humidity. When the temperature drops, such air intensively condenses moisture in the form of dew drops or fog. But for the formation of fog, there are few special conditions of temperature and humidity. It is necessary that there is a certain amount of dust particles in the air, around which moisture condenses. Therefore, in cities, fogs due to dust form more often.
Transition of water from one state to another
The process of steam formation is called vaporization. It is observed by every woman when cooking. But there is also a reverse process, when the gas turns back into water, settling on objects in the form of tiny droplets. This is called condensation. How does vaporization most often occur? ATUnder natural conditions, this process is called evaporation. Water evaporates constantly under the influence of solar heat or wind. Artificial steam can be induced by boiling water.
Evaporation
This is the process when the gaseous state of water is obtained. It can be natural or accelerated with the help of various devices. Water is constantly evaporating. This property has long been used by people to dry linen, dishes, firewood or grain. Any wet object dries out gradually due to the evaporation of moisture from its surface. Water molecules in their movement, one by one, break off and mix with air molecules. Through observations, people understood how to speed up this process. For this, various devices and devices were even created.
How to speed up evaporation?
1. People have noticed that this process proceeds faster at high temperatures. For example, in summer, a wet road dries up instantly, which cannot be said about autumn. Therefore, people dry things in warmer places, and recently special heated dryers have been created. And in frosty weather, evaporation also occurs, but very slowly. This property is used to dry valuableancient books and manuscripts by placing them in special freezers.
2. Evaporation occurs faster if the area of contact with air is large, for example, water will disappear from a plate faster than from a jar. This property is used when drying vegetables and fruits, cutting them into thin slices.
3. More peoplenoticed that objects dry faster under the influence of wind. This happens because water molecules are carried away by the air flow, and they do not have the opportunity to condense again on this object. This feature has been used to create hair dryers and hand dryers.
Properties of water in the gaseous state
Water vapor is invisible in most cases. But at high temperatures, when a lot of water evaporates at once, it can be seen in the form of a white cloud. The same thing happens in cold air, when water molecules condense into the smallest droplets that we notice.
Water in the gaseous state can dissolve in the air. Then they say that its humidity has increased. There is a maximum possible concentration of water vapor, which is called the "dew point". Above this limit, it condenses into fog, clouds or dewdrops.
Water molecules in the gaseous state move very quickly, occupying a large volume. This is especially noticeable at high temperatures. Therefore, you can observe how the lid of the kettle jumps when boiling. The same property leads to the fact that when burning firewood, crackling is heard. This evaporating water tears apart the wood fibers.
Water vapor has elasticity. It is able to contract and expand as the temperature changes.
Using the properties of water vapor
All these properties have long been studied by people and are used for domestic and industrialneeds.
- For the first time, the gaseous state of water was used in a steam engine. For many years this was the only way to propel vehicles and machines in industry. Steam turbines are still in use today, and in vehicles, the gasoline engine has long supplanted the steam engine. And now the locomotive can only be seen in museums.
- Steam has been widely used in cooking for a long time. Steaming meat or fish makes it tender and he althy for everyone.
- Hot steam is also used to heat homes and industrial processes. Steam heating is very efficient and quickly gained popularity among the population.
- The gaseous state of water is now used in fire extinguishers of a special design, which are used to extinguish oil products and other combustible liquids. The heated steam cuts off air access to the source of ignition, stopping combustion.
- In recent years, the gaseous state of water has been used to care for clothes. Special steamers will not only smooth delicate items, but also remove some stains.
- Very effective use of steam to sterilize items and medical instruments.
When is water vapor harmful?
There are places on Earth where water in a gaseous state is almost always found. These are the valleys of geysers and the vicinity of active volcanoes. It is impossible for a person to live in such an atmosphere. It's hard to breathe there, and the high humidity prevents moisture from evaporating from the skin, which can lead to overheating. You can also get very burnedsteam that is produced when water boils. And fogs can reduce visibility, leading to accidents. But in all other cases, the property of water to pass into a gaseous state is used by a person for his own benefit.
