I’m wondering specifically about LPG bottes. I don’t understand how LPG can be stored as a liquid inside a pressurized bottle that is 80 degrees celsius when LPG’s boiling point is -42 degrees celsius. How does this work?
In: Chemistry
LPGs boiling point is -42 C AT STANDARD PRESSURE. Changing the pressure changes the boiling point.
For instance at about 125 psi (850 KPa), propane is liquid to about 21 C.
That’s the simplest answer that I have that is ELI5. Does that explain it well enough?
The pressure is what does it. In a gas, molecules have a lot of energy and bounce around really fast which leaves a lot of space between molecules. If you take away some of that energy (by cooling it down) it can condense into a liquid. That’s the way it works at normal atmospheric pressure anyway. You can also make it liquid by forcing it all into a small space. Since the molecules don’t have as much room to move around they are forced into a liquid state even though the temperature usually wouldn’t allow it to.
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