can something exist in more than one “state” at the same time without changing composition? Ie can a single drop of water technically be a solid, gas and liquid at the same time?

Question

Further to that, can something exist in 4 states (solid, liquid, gas, plasma)?

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

These answers are correct that there can be conditions where all three can exist at the same time. You are asking if a single drop of water can be all three at once. If what you mean is “a molecule of water”, then I believe the answer is no. Even at the triple point, every molecule of a substance exists in only one state (with other molecules in the same state). Three molecules experiencing the same conditions at the triple point may be in three different states, but each of them is only in one state at a time.