Desublimation Definition in Chemistry

What Desublimation Means in Science

Ice crystals on window often form via desublimation.
Ice crystals on window often form via desublimation. Johner Images / Getty Images
By
Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Chemistry Expert
  • Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville
  • B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College
Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels.
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Updated on August 04, 2018

Desublimation or deposition is the phase change from gas directly to solid, with no intermediate liquid phase. Desublimation is the reverse process of sublimation.

Desublimation Examples

Solid carbon dioxide
Read More
Mysteries of Sublimation: Solid to Gas Unveiled
By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.

Probably the most familiar example of desublimation is the formation of frost on a window in winter. Water vapor in cold air freezes into ice without ever becoming liquid water. This is also how hoar frost forms and accounts for some frost formation in home freezers.

Another example is soot formation in chimneys. The molecules from combustion rise away from a fire as hot gases. As the gases contact the cooler chimney walls, they change into the solid state without ever becoming liquids.

Source

  • Moore, John W., et al., Principles of Chemistry: The Molecular Science, Brooks Cole, 2009, p. 387 ISBN 978-0-495-39079-4
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Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Desublimation Definition in Chemistry." ThoughtCo, Jun. 25, 2024, thoughtco.com/definition-of-desublimation-605011. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2024, June 25). Desublimation Definition in Chemistry. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-desublimation-605011 Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Desublimation Definition in Chemistry." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-desublimation-605011 (accessed July 20, 2024).