Can Air Be Frozen? Water Vapor Facts

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SUMMARY

Air can be frozen by cooling it to extremely low temperatures, specifically around liquid helium temperatures (~4K). At this point, the individual components of air, such as nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide, solidify. The term "water vapor" is incorrect in this context, as it refers to the gaseous state of water, not solid air. The solidified form of air is simply referred to as frozen or solid air.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of cryogenic temperatures and their effects on gases
  • Knowledge of the composition of air, including nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide
  • Familiarity with phase changes of matter
  • Basic principles of thermodynamics
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the properties of gases at cryogenic temperatures
  • Learn about the phase transitions of nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide
  • Explore the applications of solid air in scientific research
  • Investigate the effects of temperature on gas behavior and solidification
USEFUL FOR

Students and professionals in physics, chemistry, and engineering, particularly those interested in cryogenics and the behavior of gases at low temperatures.

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can air be frozen? if so, what is it called? water vapor?
 
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Yes, air can be frozen...you just have to cool it sufficiently. For instance, at liquid helium temperatures (~ 4K), I know that air solidifies. In fact, as you cool below the freezing point of each of its components (nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide), you freeze that component.

It's not called water vapor. How would it make sense to refer to a solid as a vapor ? And water is hardly the dominant component of air. I'm not sure there's a specific name for it, but we simply call it frozen or solid air.
 
Gokul43201 said:
Yes, air can be frozen...you just have to cool it sufficiently. For instance, at liquid helium temperatures (~ 4K), I know that air solidifies. In fact, as you cool below the freezing point of each of its components (nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide), you freeze that component.

It's not called water vapor. How would it make sense to refer to a solid as a vapor ? And water is hardly the dominant component of air. I'm not sure there's a specific name for it, but we simply call it frozen or solid air.

What will happen after air is solidified? Solid N, O, CO2, strange...
 

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