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Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing

Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing

Heating a crystalline solid increases the average energy of its atoms, molecules, or ions, and the solid gets hotter. At some point, the added energy becomes large enough to partially overcome the forces holding the molecules or ions of the solid in their fixed positions, and the solid begins the process of transitioning to the liquid state or melting. At this point, the temperature of the solid stops rising, despite the continual input of heat, and it remains constant until all of the solid is...

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The melting point of a compound is the temperature at which the solid phase transitions into the liquid phase at a standard pressure of 1 atmosphere. The melting point of a compound is a physical property, like solubility, density, color, and electronegativity that can be used to identify a compound. Determining the exact temperature at which a compound begins to melt is a challenging task; because of this, the melting point of compounds is reported as a...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 20, 2026

Melting and Freezing; Energetics of Melting and Fusion

Melting and Freezing; Energetics of Melting and Fusion

Melting transitions in biomembranes.

Tea Mužić¹, Fatma Tounsi¹, Søren B Madsen¹

¹Membrane Biophysics Group, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta. Biomembranes

|August 30, 2019

Summary

Biological membranes exhibit universal melting transitions below physiological temperatures, crucial for cell function and survival. These membrane lipid transitions are conserved across diverse organisms and conditions.

Keywords:

B. subtilis E. coli Elastic constants Ions Lung surfactant Nerves Thermodynamics

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Last Updated: Jan 20, 2026

Melting and Freezing; Energetics of Melting and Fusion

Melting and Freezing; Energetics of Melting and Fusion

Determination of Melting Points - Procedure

Determination of Melting Points - Procedure

Determination of Melting Points - Concept

Determination of Melting Points - Concept

Area of Science:

Biophysics
Cell Biology
Membrane Science

Background:

Biological membranes are essential for cellular life, regulating transport and signaling.
Membrane protein and lipid dynamics influence membrane function and integrity.
Understanding membrane phase transitions is key to comprehending cellular adaptation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate melting transitions in native biological membranes across various organisms.
To determine the dependence of these transitions on environmental factors like temperature, pressure, pH, and ionic strength.
To explore the biological significance of membrane transitions near physiological temperatures.

Main Methods:

Analysis of native membranes from E. coli, B. subtilis, lung surfactant, and mammalian nerve tissue.
Differential scanning calorimetry to detect lipid melting transitions.
Varied experimental conditions including pressure, pH, and ionic strength.
Comparison of native membranes with extracted lipids.

Main Results:

All studied biological membranes showed melting transitions 10-20°C below physiological or growth temperature.
These transitions were observed across diverse organisms (bacteria, mammals) and cell types.
The transition temperature in E. coli membranes was influenced by growth temperature.
Transition position remained consistent despite changes in growth conditions.

Conclusions:

Membrane melting transitions below physiological temperature are a conserved biological feature.
These transitions are likely critical for cell survival and function.
The findings support theories of membrane thermodynamics and fluctuations near phase transitions.
Distinguishing lipid melting from protein unfolding is important for interpretation.