Question

Why is the phrase melting pointnot technically correct, and what phrase would better describe the temperature of the solid to liquid phase change?

Answer 1

The phrase melting range should be used to describe the temperature of solid to liquid phase change instead of the phrase melting point. This is because a pure compound melts over a narrow temperature range of 0.5- 1 degree C which starts from the point when the crystals first starts to melt to the point where the entire solid has converted into liquid. Since melting occurs over a range of temperature and not at one specific value, the phrase melting point is not appropriate.