Why does total pressure impact phase of a pure substance?

Question

Hi All! Several questions, I’ll use water and its phase diagram as an example

Is the pressure listed on the water phase diagram total pressure or water partial pressure?

How can ice sublime in a home freezer if it’s at atmospheric pressure?

Why does total pressure matter if the condensed phase doesn’t “know” the identity of the molecules in the gas phase providing pressure?

Posted Dec 29, 2025, 3:00 AM UTC

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