Latent heat is described as?

Latent heat refers to the amount of energy absorbed or released when a substance changes from one state of matter to another, such as from solid to liquid (melting) or liquid to gas (vaporization), without a change in temperature. This process occurs during phase transitions, where the thermal energy applied goes into breaking intermolecular bonds rather than increasing kinetic energy, which would raise the temperature of the substance.

For instance, when ice melts to form water, it absorbs heat (latent heat of fusion) but does not increase in temperature until all the ice has melted. Similarly, when water boils to become steam, it absorbs heat (latent heat of vaporization) while remaining at the boiling point temperature. This understanding emphasizes how heat transfer associated with these phase changes is distinctly different from processes that solely involve temperature changes, such as heating a liquid to increase its temperature without transitioning into another state.