[Shadow]

How is some phase transition defined as sublimation?
If something solid needs to become gaseous it needs to enter the state between those two, and that's liquid. I think that sublimation is a transition between solid and gas where the liquid is an intermediate that exist for a very short period. Is it true? If yes, how short the period is?

[Arkcon]

How is some phase transition defined as sublimation?
If something solid needs to become gaseous it needs to enter the state between those two, and that's liquid. I think that sublimation is a transition between solid and gas where the liquid is an intermediate that exist for a very short period. Is it true? If yes, how short the period is?

No.  Sorry to be so blunt, but that's not the case.  When I was a kid, maybe I'd have figured something like you did.  But that is not a grownup explanation for the states of matter.  Look at this image I yanked from Wikipedia (also check the associated page, and others it links to:)  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Phase-diag2.svg  You can see, there are many states of matter, and they depend on temperature and pressure.  Sure you could have some liquid around while a solid is subliming, that's doesn't change the the solid-gas transition.