What happens to boiling point if atmospheric pressure increases and decreases?

Question

What happens to boiling point if atmospheric pressure increases and decreases?

Answer 1

Hi Samuel!

The key idea to remember here is that the boiling point of a liquid is the temperature at which its vapor pressure equals the pressure of the gas above it.

As the atmospheric pressure increases, the boiling point also increases. The vapor pressure of the liquid will now need to be higher than before in order to equal the atmospheric pressure.

As the atmospheric pressure decreases, the boiling point also decreases. The vapor pressure of the liquid does not need to be as high now in order to equal the atmospheric pressure