verdampfende

Verdampfende is the present participle and the adjective form of the German verb verdampfen, meaning to vaporize or evaporate. It is used to describe a substance or situation in which material is transitioning from a liquid (or sometimes solid) phase into a gaseous phase. Typical examples are verdampfende Flüssigkeit (evaporating liquid) or verdampfende Dämpfe (evaporating vapors).

As an adjective, verdampfende agrees with the noun it modifies: verdampfende Flüssigkeit, verdampfende Gase, oder verdampfende Dämpfe. The term is common in technical and scientific contexts where the ongoing formation of vapor is being emphasized, for instance in processes like distillation, drying, or heat treatment.

In thermodynamics and physical chemistry, the broader concept is Verdampfung, the phase transition from liquid to gas. Verdampfung can occur through boiling, at or above the boiling point, or through evaporation, which can take place at lower temperatures at the liquid surface. The phrase verdampfende Flüssigkeit highlights active vapor production, regardless of whether heat input drives boiling or surface evaporation.

Etymology and usage notes: verdampfende derives from verdampfen (to vaporize) with the present-participle ending -ende, and follows standard German adjective agreement patterns. It should not be confused with Verdunstung, which refers specifically to evaporation at the surface, typically under lower temperature conditions, and with Verdampfung as the general process of vaporization. See also Dampf, Siedepunkt, and Verdampfungswärme for related concepts.