At what temperature does pure water boil at standard atmospheric pressure, expressed in kelvin?

• A. 298 K
• B. 273 K
• C. 212 K
• D. 373 K

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Recall that the boiling point of a substance is the temperature at which its vapor pressure equals the external pressure. For water at standard atmospheric pressure (1 atm), this is a well-known physical property.
2. Understand that standard atmospheric pressure is defined as 1 atm, which is the pressure at sea level.
3. Recognize that the boiling point of pure water at 1 atm is commonly given as 100 degrees Celsius.
4. Convert the boiling point from degrees Celsius to kelvin using the formula: \(T(K) = T(^\circ C) + 273.15\).
5. Apply the conversion to 100 degrees Celsius to find the boiling point in kelvin, which will give the temperature at which pure water boils at standard atmospheric pressure.