Experiment Shows Substance That's Solid, Liquid and Gas...All at Once!

Students in Manchester University undertook an experiment to determine the identity of the fluid in the container through the use of a mass spectrometer*. When vaporising the liquid using a vacuum pump, the students noticed an odd result. They managed to find the triple point of the fluid, which is when a pressure drop in the flask caused the liquid to exist as a solid, liquid and gas all at the same time.

*The mass spectrometer is a scientific instrument which can measure the masses and concentrations of atoms and molecules. It uses the magnetic force on a moving charged particle. Credit: Youtube/Tom Enstone