Science
What is Sublimation?
Sublimation is when a solid turns straight into a gas without becoming a liquid first. Dry ice 'smoking' and snow vanishing on a freezing, sunny day are everyday examples of this direct solid-to-vapor change.
See it, don’t just read it.
Watch a 2-minute lesson with voice + animation that explains sublimation.
Key things to understand
- 1A substance skips the liquid phase, going solid → gas directly.
- 2It happens when surface molecules gain enough energy to escape as vapor.
- 3Dry ice (frozen CO₂) sublimes at normal pressure, making fog.
- 4Whether it occurs depends on temperature and pressure.
- 5The reverse — gas straight to solid — is called deposition (e.g. frost).
Frequently asked questions
- What is an example of sublimation?
- Dry ice turning to fog, mothballs shrinking into vapor, and snow disappearing without melting on a cold, sunny, windy day.
- Why does dry ice sublime?
- At normal air pressure, solid carbon dioxide can't exist as a liquid, so it goes straight to gas as it warms.
- What's the opposite of sublimation?
- Deposition — a gas turning directly into a solid, like water vapor forming frost on a cold window.