Kokpunkten

Kokpunkten is the term used in Swedish to denote the boiling point, the temperature at which a liquid turns into vapor under a given pressure. In physics and chemistry, it applies to both pure substances and solutions. At standard atmospheric pressure (1 atm, 101.3 kPa), water boils at 100 °C, but different liquids have different boiling points. Boiling point depends on pressure: lowering the pressure decreases the boiling temperature, while increasing the pressure raises it. This relationship is central to distillation, heat transfer, and many industrial processes.

Impurities and solutes affect kokpunkten through boiling point elevation, a colligative property. Adding dissolved substances raises the boiling point of a solution relative to the pure solvent, with the effect depending on concentration and solute properties. In mixtures, a liquid may exhibit a boiling range rather than a single fixed point.

Kokpunkten can be estimated or measured using established methods and formulas. The Antoine equation and Clausius–Clapeyron relation describe how temperature and vapor pressure relate for many substances. In laboratory practice, ebullioscopy, distillation, or calibrated thermometers in controlled pressure environments are used to determine the boiling point.

Applications and relevance include cooking, chemical engineering, and energy production, where precise knowledge of kokpunkten influences separation processes, design of condensers and boilers, and safety considerations. Metaphorically, the term can also refer to reaching a peak or critical point in non-scientific contexts.