ELIF the difference between smoke and vapor.
In: Chemistry
None of the other definitions of vapour are correct here (so far). A vapour is a substance in the gaseous state but below its critical temperature.
The definition of critical temperature is the temperature above which a substance cannot be returned to the liquid phase by application of pressure.
This means that I can heat a substance, water for example, and I can turn it into a gaseous substance (steam) but this is still a vapour – not a gas. With application of enough pressure, i can return the steam to the liquid phase, even at temperatures above 100C.
However, above a temperature of 374C (the critical temperature of water), application of pressure will *_never_* return steam to the liquid phase. For this reason, at this temperature and above, steam is truly a gas and not a vapour.
Smoke is a product of combustion, vape is a product of boiling.
If you smoke a cigarette or a joint, you burn the leaf.
If you vape nicotine, crack, meth or hash, the chemical vaporizes, rather than burns.
When something is burnt you get smoke
When something gets evaporated you get vapor
Burning is a chemical process. It involves oxygen and other constituents reacting with each other and forming new material(s).
Evaporation is a simple physical process where the liquid material gets converted to its gaseous form. No reaction.
Smoke comes from a burning fire. It’s smell latches on to anything porous that was near it. Smoke indoors also leaves residue.
Vapor is closer to steam from a heated liquid source. It’s smell dissipates quickly and does not embed in nearby objects. Vapor indoors won’t leave residue but in extreme situations could create a dampness.
A vapor is a gas, the evaporation of a liquid. Smoke is a mix of solid particles in a gas, for example burnt particles in hot air. There is also a mist, which is liquid particles in a gas, like clouds or … mist.
One is tiny pieces of burnt material (smoke), the other is a gas form of a liquid that’s been heated until is steam (vapor).
Latest Answers