Sublimation

Sublimation of an element or substance is a conversion between the solid and the gaseous states with no liquid intermediate stage.

At normal pressures, most chemical compounds and elements possess three different states at different temperatures.

Carbon dioxide is a common example of a compound that sublimes at normal pressures (see dry ice). Iodine is another example. Snow and water ice also sublime, though more slowly, at below-freezing temperatures.

See also: Phases of matter, deposition