Volatile means something changing or changeable. It can refer to:
In general:
* Volatility, a measure of instability
In economics:
* Volatility (finance), a measure of the risk in a financial instrument
In chemistry:
* Volatility (chemistry), a measure of the tendency of a substance to vaporize. It has also been defined as a measure of how readily a substance vaporizes.
* Volatiles, a group of compounds with low boiling points that are associated with a planet's or moon's crust and/or atmosphere
* Volatile liquids, liquid with a high vapor pressure or low boiling point
* Volatile organic compounds, organic compounds that can evaporate at normal temperature and pressure, and are often regulated by governments
* Volatile anaesthetics, a class of anaesthetics which evaporate easily
* Volatile substance abuse, the abuse of household inhalants containing volatile compounds
* Volatile oil, also known as essential oil, an oil derived from plants with aromatic compounds used in cosmetics and flavoring
* Volatile acidity, a term used in winemaking to indicate an unacceptably high level of acid or vinegar and baking soda.
In computer science:
* Volatile variables, variables that can be changed by an external process
* Volatile memory, memory that lasts only while the power is on (and thus would be lost after a restart)
In geology:
* Volatiles, the volatile compounds of magma (mostly water vapor) that affect the appearance and strength of volcanoes
