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Star Glam Gazette

Does carbon dioxide go through sublimation?

Author

David Osborn

Updated on May 25, 2026

Answer 5: Almost all solids can go through sublimation, under certain conditions. At standard, atmospheric pressure, a few solids which will sublime are iodine (at slightly higher than room temperature), carbon dioxide (dry ice) at -78.5 degrees Celsius, as well as naphthalene (used in mothballs) and arsenic.

What happens when carbon dioxide undergoes sublimation?

Solid carbon dioxide is also called dry ice. That’s because when it gets warmer and changes state, it doesn’t change to a liquid by melting. Instead, it changes directly to a gas without going through the liquid state. The process in which a solid changes directly to a gas is called sublimation.

Is sublimation of co2 a chemical change?

Sublimation is a physical change. When a substance sublimes, it changes from a solid to a gas without going through the liquid phase.

Why does carbon dioxide sublimate?

It sublimes, because the pressure at the surface of the Earth is too low for liquid CO2. If you could take the dry ice to a place where the pressure is much higher (like the bottom of the ocean, or a special laboratory) you could actually watch it melt, then boil, just like H2O at the surface of the Earth.

Does dry ice give off CO2?

Dry ice can be a very serious hazard in a small space that isn’t well-ventilated. As dry ice melts, it turns into carbon dioxide gas. In a small space, this gas can build up. If enough carbon dioxide gas is present, a person can become unconscious, and in some cases, die.

What happens when CO2 Sublimes?

Any solid sublimes, actually; it’s just that carbon dioxide has a fairly high rate of it. The process is very similar to boiling, except that the atmospheric pressure is too low to allow carbon dioxide to become a liquid, so it “boils” directly from solid to gas.

Is sublimation of dry ice reversible?

Answer: It is a reversible change. Explanation: This process is reversible as like the way substances transform directly into gas, gases can also be transformed into solid form by exposing them to extremely low temperatures.

What type of reaction is sublimation?

Sublimation is an endothermic process that occurs at temperatures and pressures below a substance’s triple point in its phase diagram, which corresponds to the lowest pressure at which the substance can exist as a liquid.

How does carbon dioxide sublimate?

Solid carbon dioxide does indeed sublime rather than melt first and then turn into a gas. This has to do with the bonds that hold carbon dioxide together. The carbon dioxide molecule is symmetric with an oxygen molecule at either end of a carbon molecule.

Why CO2 is not liquid?

Solid carbon dioxide (dry ice) sublimes at one bar (about one atmosphere), i.e., goes directly from solid to gas. If you want liquid carbon dioxide, you need a temperature, pressure pair in the liquid region, e.g., −40.0 °C and 20 bar. The other answer already shows that this is a solid fact.