What happens with the heat absorbed by ice during melting?
When ice absorbs heat, it undergoes a phase change from solid to liquid, which is known as melting. The heat absorbed by ice raises its temperature, allowing the ice molecules to gain enough energy to break the bonds that hold them together in a rigid lattice structure.
To understand what happens with the heat absorbed by ice during melting, we need to consider the specific heat capacity and latent heat of fusion of ice.
1. First, the heat absorbed by ice is used to increase its temperature. The specific heat capacity of ice is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a given mass of ice by one degree Celsius (or one Kelvin). The specific heat capacity of ice is approximately 2.09 J/g°C. This means that for every gram of ice, it requires 2.09 joules of heat energy to raise its temperature by one degree Celsius.
2. Once the ice reaches its melting point of 0 degrees Celsius (or 273.15 Kelvin), it begins to melt. During this phase change, the ice absorbs heat energy, but its temperature remains constant. This is because the energy is being used to weaken the intermolecular forces between the ice molecules rather than increasing their temperature. The heat energy required to change the phase of a substance without changing its temperature is known as latent heat.
3. The latent heat of fusion is the specific amount of heat energy required to change a unit mass of a substance from solid to liquid at a constant temperature and pressure. For ice, the latent heat of fusion is approximately 334 J/g. This means that for every gram of ice, 334 joules of heat energy are absorbed during the melting process to fully convert it into water at 0 degrees Celsius.
In summary, the heat absorbed by ice during melting is initially used to increase the ice's temperature until it reaches its melting point. Once at the melting point, the heat energy is used to break the bonds between the ice molecules, causing the solid ice to transform into liquid water while keeping its temperature constant.