Can all substances be in all 3 states of matter? If you heat up metal, it will melt, but is there a point where you heat it enough that it will become a gas? Same goes for every substance on earth

Question

Basically the title. I know water can be solid, liquid, and gas, but does that apply to everything or just water?

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

Most substances can, and metal vapours are absolutely a thing that exists. However, some substances chemically change into other substances before they’re able to melt or vapourise.

A typical example is wood, which is a complex network of plant cell structures mostly composed of starches. If heated in an oxygen-free environment, it will [pyrolise](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrolysis), splitting into a mixture of multiple substances like water, trace minerals and elemental carbon. Those substances can all be made into gases with more heating, but they’re no longer wood.