What does volatile mean?

What does volatile mean?

• A. Turns into gas easily/evaporates easily
• B. Condenses easily
• C. Has a high boiling point
• D. Is non-flammable

Answer: (A)

Volatility describes how readily a liquid becomes a gas. A highly volatile substance has a high vapor pressure at room temperature, so it evaporates quickly—exactly what “turns into gas easily/evaporates easily” means. That makes the first option the best fit. The other ideas don’t align with volatility: condensing easily would be the gas turning into a liquid, not the liquid turning into a gas. A high boiling point means the liquid needs more heat to boil, so it’s less volatile. And being non-flammable has nothing to do with how easily a substance vaporizes. (In fact, some volatile liquids are flammable.)

Volatility describes how readily a liquid becomes a gas. A highly volatile substance has a high vapor pressure at room temperature, so it evaporates quickly—exactly what “turns into gas easily/evaporates easily” means. That makes the first option the best fit.

The other ideas don’t align with volatility: condensing easily would be the gas turning into a liquid, not the liquid turning into a gas. A high boiling point means the liquid needs more heat to boil, so it’s less volatile. And being non-flammable has nothing to do with how easily a substance vaporizes. (In fact, some volatile liquids are flammable.)