What does the term 'volatility' refer to in chemistry?

Volatility in chemistry specifically refers to the ease at which a substance can evaporate. This characteristic is closely related to how readily molecules transition from the liquid phase to the gas phase at a given temperature. A highly volatile substance will evaporate quickly, often at room temperature, while a less volatile substance will do so more slowly.

Factors that influence volatility include the molecular structure of the substance and the strength of intermolecular forces present. For example, substances with weaker intermolecular forces, such as van der Waals forces, generally exhibit higher volatility because less energy is required for the molecules to escape into the gas phase.

Understanding volatility is important in various applications, such as in distillation processes, where separation of components based on their boiling points is required, or in predicting the behavior of substances in the atmosphere.

The other terms listed do not accurately capture the concept of volatility. Resistance to change suggests a different context, stability under pressure relates to different physical properties like compressibility, and the rate of chemical reactions addresses kinetics rather than phase transitions. Thus, the definition pertaining to evaporation accurately defines volatility in a chemical context.