SUBLIMATION OF A MONATOMIC ELEMENT.

A simple physical model is constructed to represent the sublimation of monatomic elements. According to this model, the solid and gas phases are two facets of a single physical system. The nature of the phase transition is clearly revealed and the relations between the vapor pressure, the latent heat, and the transition temperature are derived. The results are applied to the experimental data of argon, krypton, and xenon, with good agreement. Extension of the model to the melting transition is briefly discussed. Author