Determination of Melting points and Boiling points
The melting point (m.p)℃ of a compound is the temperature at which it changes from a solid to a liquid. Since this requires that the intermolecular forces that hold the solid together have to be overcome . The melting point is a physical property (melting point, boiling point, density, solubility ,etc.) often used to identify compounds . Usually, chemists can only obtain a melting range of a 2 - 3℃ accuracy. A pure, non-ionic, crystalline organic compound usually has a sharp and characteristic melting point (usually 0.5-1.0 ℃ range).