Heating Curve Generator Heating Curves
Describe any substance and get a clean, labeled heating curve diagram in seconds, with all five segments annotated, flat plateaus marked, and melting and boiling points called out. Perfect for chemistry class, worksheets, and slides.
Heating Curve Generator
Your heating curve will appear here
Describe your curve and click Generate
Heating Curve Examples
Browse heating and cooling curve diagrams made with Figviz, or generate your own above
Heating Curve of Water (All 5 Segments)
A complete heating curve for water from -20 C to 120 C with every segment and plateau labeled.
Cooling Curve of Water
A cooling curve for water with condensation and freezing plateaus labeled and arrows showing heat released.
Heating Curve with Phase Labels and Plateaus
Color-coded heating curve with each phase region shaded and the two plateau regions highlighted.
Heating Curve Annotated with Melting and Boiling Points
Heating curve with dashed reference lines indicating the exact melting point and boiling point of the substance.
Heating Curve Showing Latent Heat Plateaus
Diagram highlighting latent heat of fusion and latent heat of vaporization as horizontal brackets on the curve.
Blank Heating Curve Template for Worksheets
A blank heating curve worksheet template with axis labels and curve outline, ready for student annotation.
What is a heating curve?
A heating curve is a graph that shows how the temperature of a substance changes as heat is added at a constant rate. The y-axis represents temperature and the x-axis represents heat added (or time under constant heating). The distinctive feature is the flat plateaus that appear at the melting point and boiling point, where added energy drives a phase change rather than raising the temperature. A standard heating curve has five segments: the solid warming, the melting plateau, the liquid warming, the boiling plateau, and the gas warming. Figviz generates a clean, labeled diagram from a plain description so you can focus on understanding the chemistry rather than drawing the graph by hand.
How to read and make a heating curve
Why are there flat plateaus? Phase changes and latent heat
The flat regions on a heating curve exist because of latent heat. When a solid reaches its melting point, added energy breaks intermolecular bonds rather than increasing the average kinetic energy of the molecules, so temperature does not rise. This energy is called the latent heat of fusion. The same principle applies at the boiling point: the latent heat of vaporization must be absorbed to convert liquid to gas before the temperature climbs again. The width of each plateau on the x-axis is proportional to the latent heat of that phase transition. Substances with strong intermolecular forces (like water with its hydrogen bonds) have wide, prominent plateaus.
Tips for chemistry class and exams
Always label both axes with units when drawing a heating curve for an exam. Distinguish between specific heat capacity (the slope of a sloped segment) and latent heat (the length of a plateau). For water, memorize 0 C for the melting point and 100 C for the boiling point at standard pressure. When comparing two substances, the one with the wider plateau has higher latent heat. A cooling curve is simply the reverse: two flat plateaus appear at the condensation point and freezing point as heat is removed. Use Figviz to generate practice diagrams and tweak the prompt to explore different substances or mark specific temperature values.
Frequently asked questions
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