What does heat of fusion refer to?

Heat of fusion refers to the amount of energy required to change a substance from the solid phase to the liquid phase at its melting point, without a change in temperature. This process involves breaking the intermolecular forces that hold the molecules together in a solid state, allowing them to move freely and form a liquid. In this phase transition, the temperature remains constant until all of the solid has melted.

Understanding the heat of fusion is crucial in various scientific and practical contexts, such as calculating energy requirements in phase changes during heating and cooling processes, or in various industrial applications where substances change states.