Difference Between Condensation and Freezing

The key difference between condensation and freezing is that condensation is the conversion of a vapour state into a liquid state whereas freezing is the conversion of a liquid state into a solid-state.

Condensation and freezing are opposite reactions to boiling and melting, respectively. Boiling refers to the conversion of liquid into vapour while condensation refers to the conversion of vapour into liquid. Melting refers to the conversion of solid into a liquid while freezing is the conversion of liquid into solid.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Condensation
3. What is Freezing
4. Similarities Between Condensation and Freezing
5. Side by Side Comparison – Condensation vs Freezing in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What is Condensation?

Condensation is the conversion of a substance (such as water) from the vapour state to a denser liquid state, usually initiated by a reduction in the temperature of the vapour.  Hence, it is the change of phase of matter from gas to a liquid phase. It is the opposite of boiling. Condensation starts with the formation of atomic or molecular clusters. If not, condensation starts when a gaseous phase of a substance comes into contact with a liquid or a solid surface. The temperature at which this process occurs is called the dew point.

Condensation can be observed in nature, especially in the water cycle. Therefore, it is a naturally occurring incident. In the water cycle, the water vapour in air converted into liquid water. This condensation is responsible for the formation of clouds.

What is Freezing?

Freezing is the conversion of liquid state into a solid-state when the temperature is reduced below the freezing point of that liquid. In other words, it is the solidification of a liquid upon cooling. For most substances, melting point and freezing point are the same; however, there are some exceptions such as agar.

Freezing often occurs in the form of crystallization. Here, crystals form from the uniform liquid. Furthermore, it is a first-order thermodynamic phase transition. That means; until the solid and liquid coexist, the temperature of the system remains at the melting point. For example, if we consider water, upon freeing, water in liquid state converts into solid-state ice.

What are the Similarities Between Condensation and Freezing?

• Condensation and freezing are reactions opposite to boiling and melting, respectively.
• Moreover, both condensation and freezing occur upon decreasing the temperature of a system.

What is the Difference Between Condensation and Freezing?

The key difference between condensation and freezing is that condensation is the conversion of vapour state into a liquid state whereas freezing is the conversion of liquid state to solid-state. The end result of condensation is a denser liquid, but in freezing, the end product is a solid compound which forms as crystals. For example, condensation of water vapour gives the water in the liquid state, whereas the freezing of water in the liquid state gives ice. Besides, the temperature at which condensation occurs is called dew point whereas the temperature at which the freezing occurs is the freezing point.

Below infographic summarizes the difference between condensation and freezing.

Summary – Condensation vs Freezing

Condensation and freezing are opposite reactions to boiling and melting, respectively. In brief, the key difference between condensation and freezing is that condensation is the conversion of vapour state into a liquid state, whereas freezing is the conversion of liquid state to solid-state.

Reference:

1. Helmenstine, Anne Marie. “Freezing Definition.” ThoughtCo, May. 5, 2019, Available here.
2. “Freezing.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Oct. 2019, Available here.
3. “Condensation.” National Geographic Society, 9 Oct. 2012, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “1550739” (CC0) via Pxhere
2. “874075” (CC0) via Pxhere