- What is sublimation?
- Sublimation as a physical-chemical process
- Examples of physical-chemical sublimation
- Sublimation in psychoanalysis
- Sublimation in photography and graphic arts
We explain what sublimation is as a physical-chemical process, a psychoanalytic concept and an artistic or design technique.
What is sublimation?
Sublimation is a process that occurs when a substance in solid state go to gaseous state (without the need to go through the liquid phase). The word "sublimation" comes from the Latin verb I will sublimate which means "to rise", "to place oneself in a high position" or "to soar upwards".
Furthermore, "sublimation" is a term used in psychoanalysis, to refer to a very important process of psychic life; and in Photography and graphic art, to refer to a high-quality printing technique.
Sublimation as a physical-chemical process
Sublimation is the direct passage of a solid substance to the gaseous state without previously passing through the liquid phase. The reverse process is known as "reverse or regressive sublimation”And consists of solidifying the gas obtained again, without going through the liquid state.
Often both processes are used for distillation or purification of certain solid substances. To do this, a sublimator is used: a special container that heats the solid substance until it passes into the gaseous phase.
The sublimator has a very cool part, known as a “cold finger condenser,” because of its finger-like shape. The previously obtained gas passes through this section of the sublimator to solidify again and settle on the surface.
Examples of physical-chemical sublimation
- Dry ice is carbon dioxide solid. To a temperature of -78ºC and Pressure ambient (1 atm) sublimates and turns into carbon dioxide vapor.
- In metallurgy, sublimation processes are used to purify certain alloys as occurs, for example, in obtaining metallic zinc.
- At a suitable temperature, arsenic sublimates from a solid to a gaseous one.
- The iodine, subjected to a temperature of approximately 100 ºC, becomes a gas of color Toxic purple that is used in police work to capture fingerprints.
- In the astronomy the phenomenon of sublimation is observed when kites pass near the Sun.
- Naphthalene easily sublimates at room temperature and pressure.
- On snow fields, when there is a strong sun but the temperature is very low, it is possible to see how the ice vaporizes without going through the liquid phase. These natural phenomena of water sublimation can be observed in North America, the Taiga Russia, the Alps region, the moutains of the Himalayas and South America.
Sublimation in psychoanalysis
Freud developed the psychoanalytic concept of "sublimation" to describe a defense mechanism through which certain impulses that do not coincide with what we consider acceptable are redirected. For example, a violent impulse can be sublimated through artworks that represent the violence.
Freudian "sublimation" is the way of channeling or channeling self-destructive drives towards productive or creative behaviors. This reduces the anguish that these impulses cause.
The unacceptable drives for the ego would obtain their energy from the sexual drive, although, apparently, they have no relation to the sexual drive. sexuality. It is important to emphasize this since "sublimation" has nothing to do with the repression of the sexual.
"Sublimation" channels these energies, endows them with a socially noble, productive, artistic or scientific purpose, while repression simply denies and frustrates those impulses.
Sublimation in photography and graphic arts
Sublimation in graphic arts is a technique of digital printing that has made possible the high quality printing of all kinds of images, Photographs Y designs on materials like metal, aluminum, plastic or wood.
Sublimation printers convert the ink in their ribbons into gas and through the heat they inject this gas at high temperature into the material where you want to fix the image.