JAMB - Chemistry (2020 - No. 23)

Deliquescence, the process by which a substance absorbs moisture from the atmosphere until it dissolves in the absorbed water and forms a solution. Deliquescence occurs when the vapour pressure of the solution that is formed is less than the partial pressure of water vapour in the air. A particular example of hygroscopic behavior is deliquescence which is exhibited by many water-soluble solids, including inorganic salts (e.g., calcium chloride).