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condensation

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condensation

Conversion of a vapour to a liquid. This is frequently achieved by letting the vapour come into contact with a cold surface. It is the process by which water vapour turns into fine water droplets to form a cloud.

Condensation in the atmosphere occurs when the air becomes completely saturated and is unable to hold any more water vapour. As air rises it cools and contracts – the cooler it becomes the less water it can hold. Rain is frequently associated with warm weather fronts because the air rises and cools, allowing the water vapour to condense as rain. The temperature at which the air becomes saturated is known as the dew point. Water vapour will not condense in air if there are not enough condensation nuclei (particles of dust, smoke, or salt) for the droplets to form on. It is then said to be supersaturated. Condensation is an important part of the water cycle.

condensation

In organic chemistry, a reaction in which two organic compounds combine to form a larger molecule, accompanied by the removal of a smaller molecule (usually water). This is also known as an addition–elimination reaction. Polyamides (such as nylon) and polyesters (such as Terylene) are made by condensation polymerization.



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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
This center, formed of indefinite molecules, began to revolve around its own axis during its gradual condensation; then, following the immutable laws of mechanics, in proportion as its bulk diminished by condensation, its rotary motion became accelerated, and these two effects continuing, the result was the formation of one principal star, the center of the nebulous mass.
From The Earth To The Moon by Verne, Jules View in context
About five o'clock, Michel Ardan distributed, under the name of dinner, some pieces of bread and cold meat, which were quickly swallowed without either of them abandoning their scuttle, the glass of which was incessantly encrusted by the condensation of vapor.
Round The Moon by Verne, Jules View in context
A fourth affirms, with Haeckel, the condensation of
The Devil's Dictionary by Bierce, Ambrose View in context
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