volatile substances
Quickly vaporizing materials
Volatile substances are materials that evaporate readily at room temperature, releasing vapors into the air.
The term appears most often in contexts of safety and abuse—glues, solvents, aerosols, and fuels that can be inhaled for intoxicating effects: Volatile substance abuse poses serious health risks to adolescents.
In chemistry, volatility refers simply to a compound's tendency to vaporize.
- refrigerantsHeat-absorbing cooling agents
- evaporationLiquid turning to gas
- air pollutionToxic atmospheric contamination
- solventsLiquids that dissolve substances
- flammabilityEase of catching fire
chemical spill · fuels · greenhouse gases · ozone depletion · neurotoxicity · anesthetics · adhesives · propellants · perfumes · sublimation · gas leak · boiling point · aerosols · fume hood · indoor air quality · air freshener · vapor pressure · carcinogenicity
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