What is the boiling point of water?

Water boils at **100°C (212°F)** at standard atmospheric pressure (1 atm or 101.325 kPa). At this temperature, the vapor pressure of liquid water equals the surrounding atmospheric pressure, allowing bubbles of steam to form throughout the liquid. The boiling point changes with altitude and pressure. At higher altitudes, atmospheric pressure is lower, so water boils at a lower temperature — for example, at the top of Mount Everest (~8,849 m), water boils at roughly 70°C (158°F). Conversely, in a pressure cooker, increased pressure raises the boiling point above 100°C, cooking food faster. Dissolved substances also affect the boiling point. Adding salt or other solutes raises the boiling point slightly, a phenomenon known as **boiling point elevation**, which is a colligative property dependent on the concentration of solute particles.