What is the process of liquid turning into vapor called?

The process of a liquid turning into vapor is called evaporation. This occurs when molecules in a liquid gain enough energy to break free from the intermolecular forces that hold them together, allowing them to escape into the air as gas. Evaporation can happen at any temperature as long as some molecules have enough kinetic energy to overcome these forces, which is an important concept in understanding phases of matter and the behavior of liquids.

In contrast, condensation refers to the process where vapor turns back into a liquid, while sublimation involves a solid changing directly into a gas without passing through the liquid phase. Freezing is the process of a liquid becoming solid. These processes highlight the different phase changes matter can undergo depending on temperature and pressure conditions.