When a liquid becomes a solid where does the heat energy in the liquid go?

Answer 1

A gas has more heat energy, often called thermal energy, than a liquid, even if both the liquid and gas are at the same temperature. Consider that the gas molecules have more thermal energy than liquid molecules of that same substance. The gas molecules are "free" to move around more because they have more kinetic energy than molecules of the liquid. And kinetic energy is function of thermal energy.

If we consider the case of water molecules to illustrate our point, when a pan of water is boiling, the water molecules escaping the pan as a gas have more kinetic energy than the ones making up the liquid water that is still in the pan. Also consider the case of water that is evaporating. Wet your finger and blow on it. The liquid water on your finger cools as the evaporating water molecules take thermal energy from that liquid to make their change of state possible. It takes an increase of thermal (heat) energy to change a liquid into a gas.

Answer 2

The thermal energy in the liquid moves out of the liquid into its surroundings, where there is less thermal energy. After enough thermal energy has left the liquid, it will freeze into a solid.

Answer 3

It gains energy from its surroundings; if it can't gain energy there won't be a phase change. The energy involved in a phase change is called latent heat.

Answer 4

the particles in the substance slow down, and the heat energy is cooled.

Answer 5

In that case, the liquid will give off heat energy.

Answer 6

Freezing is an exothermic process (excepting for helium ).

Answer 7

it goes into the solid molecules