The Melting point and Freezing point are both temperatures at which one state gets the change to another state. The actual compound at these temperatures gets converted into a different compound.
Melting Point vs Freezing Point
Melting point occurs when the state of the substance changes from solid to liquid, but the Freezing point occurs when the liquid is changing into a solid when the heat of the substance is taken out. The melting point can be observed when temperature increases, and Freezing Point can be observed when temperature decreases.
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Melting point occurs when the substance undergoes a change in its state and turns solid to liquid. Heat is given to the substance.
It completely forms solid when it reaches its freezing point. The substance freezes and melts at the same temperature.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Melting Point | Freezing Point |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Solid turns liquid at a particular temperature. | Liquid changes to solid at a particular temperature |
| Process | The process is called melting. | The process is called freezing. |
| Heat | Supplied from external sources | Taken away from the substance |
| Volume | Increases | Decreases |
| Internal Energy | Increases | Decreases |
| Examples | Solid to liquid wax | Water turns ice |
What is Melting Point?
The melting point of the crystalline compounds defines pure compounds and elements of the solid. External sources are required to give heat to the solid so that the heat will raise the temperature of the solid and finally turns into liquid.
The Melting point of the crystalline compounds defines pure compounds and elements of the solid. The internal energy of the solid keeps on increasing when the solid gets heated.
The impurity in the substance affects its melting and freezing temperature. The molecules move more when the temperature rises.
The external pressure is one of the factors why the substance reaches its melting point. Crystalline compounds have a constant melting point.
The transition from solid to liquid is so low. An example of a Melting point is solid oxygen has a melting point at -218.4 degrees celsius.
What is Freezing Point?
The Freezing point occurs when the substance undergoes changes and gets converted from liquid to solid. When the heat of the solid is taken away, the heat inside the solid keeps on decreasing, which results in the solid change into a liquid.
The substance freezes and melts at the same temperature. It is a physical process. It is a reversible process.
This change occurs in a high state energy state and then moves to lower state energy. The molecules have to move less due to a decrease in their temperature.
The impurity in the substance minimizes the freezing point. This is a good indication of purity. The purity in the substance can be defined using a freezing point.
Main Differences Between Melting and Freezing Point
- Melting point occurs when the substance undergoes a change in its state and turns solid to a liquid, but the Freezing point occurs when the substance undergoes changes and gets converted from liquid to solid.
- Atmospheric pressure is a major factor of melting point, but external pressure is a major factor of freezing point.
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0095852248900488
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378775306015886
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
