Why does increasing pressure decrease the freezing point of a substance?
by 
Sir_judicator
ANSWERS: 1
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Easy answer to this: Generally increasing the pressure increases the freezing point (not decreases). This is because generally solids are more compact than liquids, so increasing the pressure makes it harder to melt as the heat has to work against the compression to expand the substance. Therefore, you have to raise the temperature higher to melt it. Therefore the freezing point is higher. The best known *exception* to this rule, is water. Water ice forms crystals with more empty space than water, so it is less dense than liquid water. Therefore, increasing the pressure tends to force it into a more dense liquid state. Yet more pressure (6175 atmospheres) forces it to freeze again, into a new, more compact type of ice called ice VI. There are at least eight types of water ice (ice I thru ice VIII) that form at various different temperatures and pressures.
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Roaring That's fascinating.
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