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Solidus (chemistry)

 

 
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Solidus (chemistry)
 
 
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In chemistry
Chemistry

Chemistry is the science concerned with the composition, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions....
, materials science
Materials science

Materials science or materials engineering is an interdisciplinary field involving the properties of matter and its applications to various areas of science and engineering....
, and physics
Physics

Physics is the natural science which examines basic concepts such as energy, force, and spacetime and all that derives from these, such as mass, charge, matter and its Motion ....
, the solidus is the locus
Locus (mathematics)

In mathematics, a locus is a collection of point which share a property. The term locus is usually used of a condition which defines a continuous figure or figures, that is, a curve....
 of temperatures (a curve on a phase diagram
Phase diagram

A phase diagram in physical chemistry, mineralogy, and materials science is a type of Graph of a function used to show conditions at which thermodynamically-distinct phase can occur at thermodynamic equilibrium....
) below which a given substance is completely solid
Solid

A solid object is in the states of matter characterized by resistance to deformation and changes of volume. In other words, it has high values both of Young's modulus and of shear modulus; this contrasts e.g....
 (crystallized). The solidus is applied, among else, to metal
Metal

In chemistry, a metal is a chemical element whose atoms readily lose electrons to form positive ions , and form metallic bonds between other metal atoms and ionic bonds between nonmetal atoms....
 alloy
Alloy

An alloy is a partial or complete solid solution of one or more chemical element in a metallic matrix. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may be homogeneous in distribution depending on thermal history....
s, ceramic
Ceramic

File:Bridge from dental porcelain.jpgFile:Qing vase p1070256.jpgA ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetal solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling....
s, and natural rocks and mineral
Mineral

A mineral is a naturally occurring solid formed through Geology processes that has a characteristic chemical composition, a highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties....
s.

The solidus quantifies the temperature at which melting
Melting

Melting is a process that results in the phase change of a substance from a solid to a liquid. The internal energy of a solid substance is increased to a specific temperature at which it changes to the liquid phase....
 of a substance begins, but not necessarily the substance is melted completely, i.e., the solidus is not necessarily a melting point
Melting point

The melting point of a solid is the temperature range at which it changes states of matter from solid to liquid. At the melting point the solid and liquid phase exist in equilibrium....
.






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In chemistry
Chemistry

Chemistry is the science concerned with the composition, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions....
, materials science
Materials science

Materials science or materials engineering is an interdisciplinary field involving the properties of matter and its applications to various areas of science and engineering....
, and physics
Physics

Physics is the natural science which examines basic concepts such as energy, force, and spacetime and all that derives from these, such as mass, charge, matter and its Motion ....
, the solidus is the locus
Locus (mathematics)

In mathematics, a locus is a collection of point which share a property. The term locus is usually used of a condition which defines a continuous figure or figures, that is, a curve....
 of temperatures (a curve on a phase diagram
Phase diagram

A phase diagram in physical chemistry, mineralogy, and materials science is a type of Graph of a function used to show conditions at which thermodynamically-distinct phase can occur at thermodynamic equilibrium....
) below which a given substance is completely solid
Solid

A solid object is in the states of matter characterized by resistance to deformation and changes of volume. In other words, it has high values both of Young's modulus and of shear modulus; this contrasts e.g....
 (crystallized). The solidus is applied, among else, to metal
Metal

In chemistry, a metal is a chemical element whose atoms readily lose electrons to form positive ions , and form metallic bonds between other metal atoms and ionic bonds between nonmetal atoms....
 alloy
Alloy

An alloy is a partial or complete solid solution of one or more chemical element in a metallic matrix. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may be homogeneous in distribution depending on thermal history....
s, ceramic
Ceramic

File:Bridge from dental porcelain.jpgFile:Qing vase p1070256.jpgA ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetal solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling....
s, and natural rocks and mineral
Mineral

A mineral is a naturally occurring solid formed through Geology processes that has a characteristic chemical composition, a highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties....
s.

The solidus quantifies the temperature at which melting
Melting

Melting is a process that results in the phase change of a substance from a solid to a liquid. The internal energy of a solid substance is increased to a specific temperature at which it changes to the liquid phase....
 of a substance begins, but not necessarily the substance is melted completely, i.e., the solidus is not necessarily a melting point
Melting point

The melting point of a solid is the temperature range at which it changes states of matter from solid to liquid. At the melting point the solid and liquid phase exist in equilibrium....
. For this distinction, the solidus may be contrasted to the liquidus. The solidus and liquidus do not align or overlap in all cases. If a gap exists between the solidus and liquidus, then within that gap, the substance consists of solid and liquid phases simultaneously (like a "slurry"). Such is the case, for example, with the olivine
Olivine

The mineral olivine is a magnesium iron Silicate minerals with the formula 2siliconoxygen4. It is one of the most common minerals on Earth, and has also been identified in meteorites and on the Moon, Mars, and comet Wild 2....
 (forsterite
Forsterite

Forsterite is the magnesium rich end-member of the olivine solid solution series. Forsterite crystallizes in the orthorhombic system with cell parameters a 4.75 ?ngstr?m , b 10.20 ? and c 5.98 ? ....
-fayalite
Fayalite

Fayalite is the iron rich end-member of the olivine solid-solution series. In common with all minerals in the olivine, fayalite crystallizes in the orthorhombic system with cell parameters a 4.82 ?, b 10.48 ? and c ? 6.09....
) system.

In eutectic mixtures the solidus and liquidus temperatures are identical, i.e., the mixture melts completely at one temperature, the eutectic point
Eutectic point

The melting point of a mixture of two or more solids depends on the relative proportions of its ingredients. A eutectic or eutectic mixture is a mixture at such proportions that the melting point is as low as possible, and that furthermore all the constituents crystallize simultaneously at this temperature from molten liquid solution....
.

See also

  • Melting point
    Melting point

    The melting point of a solid is the temperature range at which it changes states of matter from solid to liquid. At the melting point the solid and liquid phase exist in equilibrium....
  • Freezing point
    Freezing Point

    Freezing Point is a news journal in the People's Republic of China which has been the subject of controversy over its criticism of Communist Party officials and the sympathetic ear it lent to a Chinese historian who had criticized official history textbooks....