Which statement describes the effect of increasing pressure on a liquid's boiling point?

Which statement describes the effect of increasing pressure on a liquid's boiling point?

• A. It increases the boiling point
• B. It decreases the boiling point
• C. It has no effect
• D. It causes boiling at any temperature

Answer: (A)

Boiling happens when a liquid’s vapor pressure matches the surrounding pressure. When you increase the surrounding pressure, the atmosphere is harder for molecules to escape into the vapor phase, so you have to heat the liquid to a higher temperature to reach the same vapor pressure. That’s why the boiling point rises as pressure increases. For example, water boils at 100°C at 1 atm, but in a high-pressure environment it must get hotter before it boils. Lowering pressure does the opposite, making boiling occur at a lower temperature. The statement that increasing pressure raises the boiling point accurately describes this relationship.

Boiling happens when a liquid’s vapor pressure matches the surrounding pressure. When you increase the surrounding pressure, the atmosphere is harder for molecules to escape into the vapor phase, so you have to heat the liquid to a higher temperature to reach the same vapor pressure. That’s why the boiling point rises as pressure increases. For example, water boils at 100°C at 1 atm, but in a high-pressure environment it must get hotter before it boils. Lowering pressure does the opposite, making boiling occur at a lower temperature. The statement that increasing pressure raises the boiling point accurately describes this relationship.