Vapor pressure and the boiling point of a liquid

[That Neuron]

I'm not totally sure this topic should be placed in this forum, since it is not specifically solid state.

Anyways, my question is simply why is there a correlation between vapor pressure and the boiling point of a substance, I would have thought that the boiling point would be at any temperature that the kinetic energy of the interior of the liquid begins to become gaseous.

Is it because the vapor must stop cooling the liquid at the atmospheric pressure.

 

[nasu]

At the boiling point (which depends on the atmospheric pressure) the vapor pressure is equal to the atmospheric pressure.

The expression "the kinetic energy of the interior of the liquid begins to become gaseous" does not make much sense. I am not sure what do you mean. The kinetic energy does not have states, like liquid or gas, does it?

 

[anse]

When you refer to "vapor pressure" as equal to atmospheric pressure at boiling point:

Do you use the words as "equilibrium vapor pressure"? If so, why the requirement for equilibrium rates of evaporation and condensation of liquid-vapor in the boiling bubbles?