Boiling point elevation

Students are seen experimenting boiling point elevation with Prof. Dr. Sibel Ozilgen as part of the course 'Culinary Science' at the Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Department, Yeditepe University. The temperature at which a compound changes from a liquid to a vapor is called the boiling point. Boiling occurs when vapor pressure inside the liquid is equal to the atmospheric pressure. When a nonvolatile solute, such as sugar or salt, is added to the liquid, the vapor pressure is reduced. This means water molecules will need more kinetic energy to escape from the surface of the liquid. Therefore, the solution needs to be heated to a higher temperature to boil. This phenomenon is called boiling point elevation. The boiling points of solutions are higher than that of the pure water. Therefore, our foods boil at higher temperatures than pure water.