What condition describes free vaporization throughout a liquid?

The condition that describes free vaporization throughout a liquid is boiling. Boiling occurs when a liquid reaches its boiling point, which is the temperature at which its vapor pressure equals the surrounding pressure. At this point, bubbles of vapor form within the liquid and rise to the surface, leading to the observable phenomenon of boiling.

During boiling, the entire body of the liquid transitions into the vapor phase, not just at the surface, as is the case with evaporation. This distinction is crucial; evaporation can happen at any temperature when molecules at the surface gain enough kinetic energy to escape into the vapor phase, whereas boiling requires a specific temperature under given pressure conditions for the entire volume of the liquid to vaporize.

In contrast, condensation refers to the phase change from gas to liquid, freezing represents the transition from liquid to solid, and evaporation is limited to surface molecules changing into vapor without the requirement of a boiling point. The characteristics of boiling are essential in understanding thermodynamic principles regarding phase changes and heat transfer.