A supercritical fluid is any substance at a temperature and pressure above its critical point, where distinct liquid and gas phases do not exist. This can be rationalized by thinking that at high enough temperatures (above the critical temperature) the kinetic energy of the molecules is high enough to overcome any intermolecular forces that would condense the sample into the liquid phase. On the other hand, high enough pressures (above the critical pressure) would not allow a sample to stay in the pure gaseous state. Therefore, a balance between these two tendencies is achieved and the substance exists in a state between a gas and a liquid.