What is the process called when a gas transforms into a liquid?

The process when a gas transforms into a liquid is called condensation. This occurs when gas molecules lose energy, often through cooling, causing them to slow down and come closer together. As the molecules lose kinetic energy, they reach a point where they transition from the gaseous state to the liquid state, forming a liquid. This is an essential part of the water cycle, as seen when water vapor in the atmosphere cools and forms clouds.

While evaporation refers to the process of a liquid turning into a gas, sublimation involves a solid transforming directly into a gas without passing through the liquid state, and deposition is the direct transition from gas to solid. These processes illustrate the various phase changes that matter can undergo under different conditions but are distinct from the process of condensation.