Eli5 Why does oil not evaporate like water?

Question

Eli5 Why does oil not evaporate like water?

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

Oil has a much higher boiling point. That basically means it’s molecules need a lot more energy before they can convert to a gas.

Water boils at 100C.

Oil, depending on the type & purity, is more like 200-300C.

As a result, at the same temperature, a lot more water molecules will be going fast enough to escape than oil molecules. This means the water evaporates *much* faster. The oil still is evaporating, it’s just so slow at room temperature that you don’t notice it much.