Boiling point of water at sea level is ______.

The correct answer is 212° F.

• At 1 atmosphere of pressure (sea level), water boils at 100° C (212° F).
• When a liquid is heated, it eventually reaches a temperature at which the vapor pressure is large enough that bubbles form inside the body of the liquid. This temperature is called the boiling point.
  • Once the liquid starts to boil, the temperature remains constant until all of the liquid has been converted to a gas.

Important Points

• The boiling point of water depends on the atmospheric pressure, which changes according to elevation.
  • Water boils at a lower temperature as you gain altitude (e.g., going higher on a mountain).
  • Water boils at a higher temperature if you increase atmospheric pressure (coming back down to sea level or going below it).
• The boiling point of water also depends on the purity of the water.
  • Water that contains impurities (such as salted water) boils at a higher temperature than pure water. This phenomenon is called boiling point elevation.
  • It is one of the colligative properties of matter.

Key Points

• Liquids have a characteristic temperature at which they turn into solids, known as their freezing point.
  • Water freezes at 32° F or 0° C or 273.15 Kelvin.
• Pure, crystalline solids have a characteristic melting point, the temperature at which the solid melts to become a liquid.
• In theory, the melting point of a solid should be the same as the freezing point of the liquid.