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Melting - GCSE Chemistry Definition

Reviewed by: Richard Boole

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Melting is the process where a solid changes into a liquid when it is heated to its melting point. For example, when ice is heated, it melts and becomes water.

During melting:

  • The solid absorbs heat energy

  • The particles gain energy and vibrate more

  • Eventually, the particles break free from their fixed positions, allowing them to move around

The temperature stays constant during melting until all the solid has turned into liquid. Melting is a key part of studying changes of state in GCSE Chemistry and helps explain how particle arrangement and energy affect the properties of substances.

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Richard Boole

Reviewer: Richard Boole

Expertise: Chemistry Content Creator

Richard has taught Chemistry for over 15 years as well as working as a science tutor, examiner, content creator and author. He wasn’t the greatest at exams and only discovered how to revise in his final year at university. That knowledge made him want to help students learn how to revise, challenge them to think about what they actually know and hopefully succeed; so here he is, happily, at SME.

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