MadSci Network: Physics |
Sublimation occurs when matter changes state without passing through the liquid phase. Therefore, going from a solid directly to a gas (like dry ice to carbon dioxide) is sublimation just as the going from a gas directly to a solid (like the formation of snow) is sublimation. This is the standard definition in physical chemistry, even the the word comes from the Latin, sublimare - "to elevate", which suggests the solid to gas transition.