Liquid state

The liquid state sits between the solid and gaseous states: liquid molecules are held together by intermolecular forces that are moderately strong -- strong enough to give a liquid a definite, fixed volume of its own, yet not so strong as to lock the molecules into fixed positions, so a liquid also flows and takes the shape of whatever part of its container it currently occupies (fluidity). Different liquids are characterised and compared using several distinctive quantitative properties, including density, boiling point, freezing point, vapo …