What can be said about the latent heat during the phase change process?

Latent heat refers to the heat energy that is absorbed or released by a substance during a phase change without changing its temperature. When a substance undergoes melting, it transitions from a solid to a liquid state. During this process, the substance absorbs energy in the form of latent heat, which is necessary to break the bonds that hold the solid structure together. This absorption of heat results in the solid changing to a liquid, but the temperature of the substance remains constant until the complete phase change is achieved.

In the context of the other options, the processes of solidification and vaporization do involve changes in latent heat as well, but the specifics of the question focus on the melting process. Solidification involves the release of latent heat as a liquid transforms into a solid, and vaporization involves the absorption of latent heat as a liquid turns into a gas. The statement about latent heat being neither gained nor lost does not accurately reflect the energy changes that occur during phase transitions.

Overall, the key concept here is that during melting, the substance actively absorbs latent heat, which is essential for the phase change from solid to liquid to occur effectively.