Specific Latent Heat Of Vaporisation - GCSE Physics Definition

The specific latent heat of vaporisation is the amount of heat energy needed to turn 1 kilogram of a liquid into a gas, and to change a gas into a liquid by condensing it, without changing the temperature. The energy needed for particles to break free in a liquid to become a gas, is the same amount of energy needed for particles to form their bonds when turning a gas into a liquid. For instance, turning water into steam requires a specific amount of energy, and that same amount of energy is needed to condense steam into liquid. Specific latent heat of vaporisation is usually measured in joules per kilogram (J/kg).