{"id":44241,"date":"2025-06-01T11:47:06","date_gmt":"2025-06-01T11:47:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/idea.membrane.com\/songwriter\/?p=44241"},"modified":"2025-06-01T11:47:06","modified_gmt":"2025-06-01T11:47:06","slug":"supercritical","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kingarthur.com\/songwriter\/2025\/06\/01\/supercritical\/","title":{"rendered":"Supercritical"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/kingarthur.com\/MegaEpix-Enormous\/multimedia\/XIII\/Supercritical-Best-Of.mp3\">Supercritical-Best-Of.mp3<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/kingarthur.com\/MegaEpix-Enormous\/multimedia\/XIII\/Supercritical-Best-Of.mp4\">Supercritical-Best-Of.mp4<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/kingarthur.com\/MegaEpix-Enormous\/multimedia\/XIII\/Supercritical.mp3\">Supercritical.mp3<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/kingarthur.com\/MegaEpix-Enormous\/multimedia\/XIII\/Supercritical.mp4\">Supercritical.mp4<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/kingarthur.com\/MegaEpix-Enormous\/multimedia\/XIII\/Supercritical-intro.mp3\">Supercritical-intro.mp3<\/a><\/p>\n<p>[Verse 1]<br \/>\nDo you have to be so critical<br \/>\n(Super duper)<br \/>\nCan&#8217;t you act more rational<br \/>\n(A normal formal state)<\/p>\n<p>[Chorus]<br \/>\nSupercritical<br \/>\n(Fluctuates wildly)<br \/>\nTurning political<br \/>\n(To put it mildly)<\/p>\n<p>[Verse 2]<br \/>\nTo please me<br \/>\n(Stay away from my coffee)<br \/>\nDecaffeinated<br \/>\n(Is way overrated)<\/p>\n<p>[Chorus]<br \/>\nSupercritical<br \/>\n(Fluctuates wildly)<br \/>\nTurning political<br \/>\n(To put it mildly)<\/p>\n<p>[Bridge]<br \/>\nCompressibility spikes<br \/>\n(Yikes!)<br \/>\nSurface tension disappears<br \/>\n(Raising fears)<br \/>\nTime to anoint<br \/>\n(Where at a critical point)<\/p>\n<p>[Chorus]<br \/>\nSupercritical<br \/>\n(Fluctuates wildly)<br \/>\nTurning political<br \/>\n(To put it mildly)<\/p>\n<p>[Outro]<br \/>\nSupercritical<br \/>\n(Avoid the hypocritical)<\/p>\n<p>A SCIENCE NOTE<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1410\" data-end=\"1435\"><strong data-start=\"1410\" data-end=\"1433\">Supercritical Fluid<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"1439\" data-end=\"1596\">\n<li data-start=\"1439\" data-end=\"1488\">\n<p data-start=\"1441\" data-end=\"1488\">Occurs above critical temperature &amp; pressure.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1492\" data-end=\"1533\">\n<p data-start=\"1494\" data-end=\"1533\">Behaves like both a gas and a liquid.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1537\" data-end=\"1596\">\n<p data-start=\"1539\" data-end=\"1596\">Example: Supercritical CO\u2082 (used to decaffeinate coffee).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"41\" data-end=\"251\">A <strong data-start=\"43\" data-end=\"66\">supercritical fluid<\/strong> is a state of matter that occurs <strong data-start=\"100\" data-end=\"157\">above a substance\u2019s critical temperature and pressure<\/strong>\u2014the point where the substance <strong data-start=\"188\" data-end=\"250\">can no longer be distinguished as either a liquid or a gas<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"253\" data-end=\"282\">It behaves as a <strong data-start=\"269\" data-end=\"279\">hybrid<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"283\" data-end=\"424\">\n<li data-start=\"283\" data-end=\"348\">\n<p data-start=\"285\" data-end=\"348\">Like a <strong data-start=\"292\" data-end=\"299\">gas<\/strong>: fills a container completely and flows freely<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"349\" data-end=\"424\">\n<p data-start=\"351\" data-end=\"424\">Like a <strong data-start=\"358\" data-end=\"368\">liquid<\/strong>: dissolves substances and has solvent-like properties<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-start=\"431\" data-end=\"471\"><strong data-start=\"438\" data-end=\"471\">Critical Point: The Threshold<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"473\" data-end=\"510\">The <strong data-start=\"477\" data-end=\"495\">critical point<\/strong> is defined by:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"512\" data-end=\"721\">\n<li data-start=\"512\" data-end=\"615\">\n<p data-start=\"514\" data-end=\"615\"><strong data-start=\"514\" data-end=\"543\">Critical Temperature (Tc)<\/strong>: Above this, the substance <strong data-start=\"571\" data-end=\"594\">cannot be liquefied<\/strong> by pressure alone.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"616\" data-end=\"721\">\n<p data-start=\"618\" data-end=\"721\"><strong data-start=\"618\" data-end=\"644\">Critical Pressure (Pc)<\/strong>: Minimum pressure required to liquefy a gas at its <strong data-start=\"696\" data-end=\"720\">critical temperature<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-start=\"728\" data-end=\"767\">Examples of Supercritical Fluids<\/h3>\n<div class=\"_tableContainer_16hzy_1\">\n<div class=\"_tableWrapper_16hzy_14 group flex w-fit flex-col-reverse\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n<table class=\"w-fit min-w-(--thread-content-width)\" data-start=\"769\" data-end=\"1672\">\n<thead data-start=\"769\" data-end=\"885\">\n<tr data-start=\"769\" data-end=\"885\">\n<th data-start=\"769\" data-end=\"788\" data-col-size=\"sm\">Substance<\/th>\n<th data-start=\"788\" data-end=\"816\" data-col-size=\"sm\">Critical Temperature (\u00b0C)<\/th>\n<th data-start=\"816\" data-end=\"842\" data-col-size=\"sm\">Critical Pressure (atm)<\/th>\n<th data-start=\"842\" data-end=\"885\" data-col-size=\"md\">Use \/ Notes<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody data-start=\"1005\" data-end=\"1672\">\n<tr data-start=\"1005\" data-end=\"1135\">\n<td data-start=\"1005\" data-end=\"1032\" data-col-size=\"sm\"><strong data-start=\"1007\" data-end=\"1031\">Carbon Dioxide (CO\u2082)<\/strong><\/td>\n<td data-col-size=\"sm\" data-start=\"1032\" data-end=\"1062\">31.1\u202f\u00b0C<\/td>\n<td data-col-size=\"sm\" data-start=\"1062\" data-end=\"1090\">73.8\u202fatm (7.38 MPa)<\/td>\n<td data-col-size=\"md\" data-start=\"1090\" data-end=\"1135\">Decaffeinating coffee, green solvents<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr data-start=\"1136\" data-end=\"1282\">\n<td data-start=\"1136\" data-end=\"1164\" data-col-size=\"sm\"><strong data-start=\"1138\" data-end=\"1153\">Water (H\u2082O)<\/strong><\/td>\n<td data-col-size=\"sm\" data-start=\"1164\" data-end=\"1193\">374\u202f\u00b0C<\/td>\n<td data-col-size=\"sm\" data-start=\"1193\" data-end=\"1221\">218\u202fatm (22.1 MPa)<\/td>\n<td data-col-size=\"md\" data-start=\"1221\" data-end=\"1282\">Supercritical water oxidation (SCWO), chemistry reactions<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr data-start=\"1283\" data-end=\"1412\">\n<td data-start=\"1283\" data-end=\"1311\" data-col-size=\"sm\"><strong data-start=\"1285\" data-end=\"1302\">Ammonia (NH\u2083)<\/strong><\/td>\n<td data-col-size=\"sm\" data-start=\"1311\" data-end=\"1340\">132.4\u202f\u00b0C<\/td>\n<td data-col-size=\"sm\" data-start=\"1340\" data-end=\"1368\">112.8\u202fatm<\/td>\n<td data-col-size=\"md\" data-start=\"1368\" data-end=\"1412\">Experimental refrigeration<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr data-start=\"1413\" data-end=\"1542\">\n<td data-start=\"1413\" data-end=\"1441\" data-col-size=\"sm\"><strong data-start=\"1415\" data-end=\"1432\">Methane (CH\u2084)<\/strong><\/td>\n<td data-col-size=\"sm\" data-start=\"1441\" data-end=\"1470\">-82.6\u202f\u00b0C<\/td>\n<td data-col-size=\"sm\" data-start=\"1470\" data-end=\"1498\">45.8\u202fatm<\/td>\n<td data-col-size=\"md\" data-start=\"1498\" data-end=\"1542\">Natural gas processing<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr data-start=\"1543\" data-end=\"1672\">\n<td data-start=\"1543\" data-end=\"1571\" data-col-size=\"sm\"><strong data-start=\"1545\" data-end=\"1565\">Ethanol (C\u2082H\u2085OH)<\/strong><\/td>\n<td data-col-size=\"sm\" data-start=\"1571\" data-end=\"1600\">241.6\u202f\u00b0C<\/td>\n<td data-col-size=\"sm\" data-start=\"1600\" data-end=\"1628\">63 atm<\/td>\n<td data-col-size=\"md\" data-start=\"1628\" data-end=\"1672\">Solvent for organic materials<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<div class=\"sticky end-(--thread-content-margin) h-0 self-end select-none\">\n<div class=\"absolute end-0 flex items-end\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 data-start=\"1679\" data-end=\"1704\">Why They&#8217;re Useful<\/h3>\n<ul data-start=\"1706\" data-end=\"1963\">\n<li data-start=\"1706\" data-end=\"1784\">\n<p data-start=\"1708\" data-end=\"1784\"><strong data-start=\"1708\" data-end=\"1728\">Tunable solvents<\/strong>: Slight changes in temp\/pressure adjust their solvency.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1785\" data-end=\"1862\">\n<p data-start=\"1787\" data-end=\"1862\"><strong data-start=\"1787\" data-end=\"1806\">Green chemistry<\/strong>: CO\u2082 replaces toxic solvents in extraction or cleaning.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1863\" data-end=\"1963\">\n<p data-start=\"1865\" data-end=\"1963\"><strong data-start=\"1865\" data-end=\"1880\">Penetrative<\/strong>: SCFs can diffuse through solids like a gas but dissolve substances like a liquid.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-start=\"1970\" data-end=\"2009\">Behavior Near the Critical Point<\/h3>\n<ul data-start=\"2011\" data-end=\"2133\">\n<li data-start=\"2011\" data-end=\"2039\">\n<p data-start=\"2013\" data-end=\"2039\">Density fluctuates wildly.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"2040\" data-end=\"2104\">\n<p data-start=\"2042\" data-end=\"2104\">Surface tension disappears (no distinct liquid\/gas interface).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"2105\" data-end=\"2130\">\n<p data-start=\"2107\" data-end=\"2130\">Compressibility spikes.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"2134\" data-end=\"2228\">This makes supercritical fluids useful but <strong data-start=\"2177\" data-end=\"2201\">difficult to control<\/strong> without precise equipment.<\/p>\n<h3>From the album &#8220;<a href=\"\/songwriter\/tag\/states-of-matter\/\">States of Matter<\/a>&#8220;<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Supercritical-Best-Of.mp3 Supercritical-Best-Of.mp4 Supercritical.mp3 Supercritical.mp4 Supercritical-intro.mp3 [Verse 1] Do you have to be so critical (Super duper) Can&#8217;t you act more rational (A normal formal state) [Chorus] Supercritical (Fluctuates wildly) Turning political (To put it mildly) [Verse 2] To please me (Stay away from my coffee) Decaffeinated (Is way overrated) [Chorus] Supercritical (Fluctuates wildly) Turning political [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,9,14],"tags":[4133],"class_list":["post-44241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-4d-music","category-daniel","category-lyrics","tag-states-of-matter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingarthur.com\/songwriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingarthur.com\/songwriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingarthur.com\/songwriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingarthur.com\/songwriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingarthur.com\/songwriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44241"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/kingarthur.com\/songwriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44241\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44251,"href":"https:\/\/kingarthur.com\/songwriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44241\/revisions\/44251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kingarthur.com\/songwriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingarthur.com\/songwriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kingarthur.com\/songwriter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}