How is condensation explained by the Kinetic Molecular Theory? Cooling reduces particle motion, resulting in coalescence by attractive forces. Cooling increases collisions, which causes molecules to bond together. Heating breaks the solid bonds, and liquid forms. Reduction in molecular kinetic energy eventually produces the solid phase.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Condensation is a phase transition where a substance changes from a gas to a liquid. The Kinetic Molecular Theory (KMT) provides a useful framework to understand this process by describing the behavior of molecules.
According to KMT, gas particles are in constant motion and collide with each other and the walls of their container. These collisions are perfectly elastic, meaning that the total kinetic energy of the particles remains constant unless affected by external factors such as temperature.
When a gas is cooled, the temperature of the gas decreases, which results in a reduction in the average kinetic energy of the molecules. As the molecules lose energy, they move slower and their ability to overcome attractive forces between them decreases. The cooling process increases the likelihood of molecular collisions, but at the same time, the reduced kinetic energy allows the attractive forces (such as van der Waals forces or hydrogen bonding) to take over, causing the molecules to bond together. As a result, the gas condenses into a liquid.
At the molecular level, the decrease in kinetic energy means that the gas molecules no longer have enough energy to escape from the liquid state. The intermolecular forces, now more dominant due to the slower movement of the molecules, cause the molecules to cluster together, forming a liquid phase. This is in contrast to the vapor phase where the particles are widely separated and free to move.
Thus, condensation is essentially the process where gas molecules lose enough energy to be captured by intermolecular forces, transitioning from the more energetic gaseous state to the more orderly liquid state. The transition happens when the temperature of the gas falls, slowing the molecules down and allowing them to form liquid clusters.
