Boiling is vaporization through the formation and growth of vapor bubbles within a liquid. It differs from surface evaporation, which can occur without bubbles in the bulk. At equilibrium, the boiling point of a pure liquid is set by equality of its saturation vapor pressure and the external pressure.
A real bubble must also overcome local hydrostatic pressure and the capillary pressure of its curved surface. Creating the interface costs energy, giving a nucleation barrier; a smooth clean vessel can therefore permit superheating. Surface cavities and boiling chips supply sites where bubbles form more readily. The observed onset depends on these sites and heating conditions, while the equilibrium boiling point remains a property specified at the chosen pressure.
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