Why Does Water Spontaneously Evaporate At Room Temperature

Sunlight really doesn t have much to do with evaporation other then heat.

Why does water spontaneously evaporate at room temperature.

Let us make this clear evaporation isn t related to temperature boiling is. When a lot of water vapor is in the air molecules will get bumped up against a surface and stick to it which is why condensation forms on the outside of a cold drink on a humid day. However as temperature rises evaporation typically increases because water molecules are moving more quickly. The surrounding gas must not be saturated with the evaporating substance.

Clearly water does evaporate at 212ºf but it also evaporates at room temperature. Evaporation is a type of vaporization that occurs on the surface of a liquid as it changes into the gas phase. Don t worry you don t have to live in a house that s a scalding 212ºf just for water to disappear on its own. When the molecules of the liquid collide they transfer energy to each other based on how they collide with each other.

Evaporation is a surface phenomenon which is stability induced act by the liquid molecules some molecules from the surface ev. When answering this question it s helpful to think of temperature as kinetic energy that is energy that is transferred. Water evaporates anywhere that has some sunlight. Olive oil in contrast has a very low vapor pressure so it s not likely to evaporate much at room temperature source.

There is not a specific temperature that water must be in order for it to evaporate.