In small bubbles or small drops, surface tension is dominant. Pressure changes, so the PVT equilibrium can be different.
I have a link somewhere for this .... I'm not sure if I put in my tube boiler analysis. And for the life of me, I can't remember if small drops grow or shrink in a particular PT environment. (There's a named formula). ----- Original Message ----- > If the same water is _theoretically_ supposed to boil at the same > precise temperature at a given pressure, I just don't understand how > water can _theoreticallly_ survive as a liquid drop while surrounded > by steam which is above the boiling point. In other words, the theory > that the same water always boils at the same _precise_ temperature for > a given pressure is an idealisation and an approximation.
