Steph's
To clarify some of
the structures found in the test tubes, I must define the colored clumps
you will come across. The solid clumps represent the solid composition
of the component, corresponding to the particular color. The transparent
clumps with individual molecules inside of them represent the solid solution
of the components, which are not quite a solid, but rather a homogenous
cluster of component molecules. The arrows pointing upward denote
molecules leaving as vapor as the liquid boils. And finally, the
individual stars, circles, and diamonds represent the individual molecules
of each of the components.
Two other features of the
phase diagram I would also like to point out are azeotropes and eutectics.
The azeotrope is a minimum or maximum point on a boiling-point diagram
at which the liquid and vapor compositions are identical. Minimums
in the boiling point are due to strong positive deviations from Raoult’s
law. Conversely, maximums are due to strong negative deviations.
The eutectic, found in melting-point diagrams, is the minimum melting point
and is found at the intersection of the curved lines representing the freezing-point
depressions of each component when the other is added to it.