Which process describes the transformation from a solid directly to a gas?

The process that describes the transformation from a solid directly to a gas is sublimation. This occurs when a solid gains enough energy, typically in the form of heat, to break the intermolecular forces holding its particles in place, allowing them to escape directly into the gaseous state without first becoming a liquid. A common example of sublimation is dry ice (solid carbon dioxide), which sublimates at atmospheric pressure, turning directly into carbon dioxide gas without passing through a liquid phase.

Evaporation involves the phase change from a liquid to a gas, while condensation refers to the change from a gas to a liquid. Deposition, on the other hand, is the reverse process of sublimation, where a gas transforms directly into a solid without becoming liquid first. Understanding these processes is essential in meteorology, as they play a crucial role in various weather phenomena and the formation of clouds, frost, and other atmospheric conditions.