According to chemistry, matter is everything that occupies space and has mass. This concept corresponds to the most typical objects we see daily. Everything around us counts, from the water we drink to the sweets we eat to our vehicles, buildings, bodies, the land, and everything else.
However, demonstrating this concept was not always so simple in the past. Even if air cannot be seen, concealing it as having volume and weight isn't easy. Later, when scientists discovered that gasses could be compressed to the point that they became liquids, they demonstrated that air is also a substance.
Discover some fascinating facts about states of matter and the most significant ideas on how matter works. Even though we all understand what matter is and what it comprises, students should remember that this is vital for those preparing for their Class 12 examinations, JEE, and NEET.
Matter's Building Blocks
The substance comprises small particles that are invisible to the human eye. These small bits are referred to as atoms. Scientists formerly believed that atoms could not be shattered. However, we now know that atoms may be split into smaller components. So this is how matter is constructed:
The Characteristics of Matter's Substances
Atoms and molecules are the tiniest components of matter. The characteristics of atoms and molecules influence the nature, shape, or form of all things.
The kinetic theory of matter explains the qualities of matter's constituents. It states:
⦁ The matter comprises microscopic particles (ions, atoms, and molecules).
⦁ The particles always move at random.
⦁ Particles move due to the forces of attraction among them and their kinetic energy content.
⦁ The kinetic energy is affected by changes in temperature, which indicate the state of matter.
The following are the most crucial things to understand about matter parts:
Atomic alignment and the intervals between them
To dissolve sugar, stir it into a glass of water. The water does not seem to alter. There are also little gaps between the water bits. The sugar particles enter and fill these gaps. So the process of adding and subtracting continues until all vacant slots are filled. The inter-particle, interatomic, or intermolecular space is the essential space between matter's particles.
The particles are continually moving.
When you place a drop of blue ink in transparent water or spray perfume in the corner of a room, the fragrance spreads. The matter particles' kinetic energy causes them to travel randomly. Diffusion occurs when particles from different matter components mingle due to their random movement. This kind of random movement is also known as Brownian motion. A temperature change directly influences particle mobility since it increases their kinetic energy.
The Attraction Force Between Particles
A pencil is more difficult to break than an eraser. It is hard and powerful because the pieces are attracted to each other. As a result, the forces that keep particles of different types of matter together vary. The force of attraction among particles and molecules and the speed of the particles are the primary factors that govern the states of matter.
Matter Conditions
The matter may take on many appearances based on how its particles, atoms, or proteins are assembled. It may remain solid while moving like a liquid or gas. So there are three perspectives on the nature of matter:
Solid Liquid Gas
Matter's changing states
Water transforms from one state to another, depending on the circumstances. It is a liquid at room temperature. It freezes into ice at low temperatures and transforms into steam at extremely high temperatures. Temperature and pressure affect the bonds that hold particles together, causing the states of matter to change.
Solid-state → Liquid state
Why does ice melt when exposed to sunlight? When the temperature rises, something's condition shifts from solid to liquid. The speed of water molecules in ice increases as the temperature rises. The forces of attraction between the ice molecules lessen as they vibrate at higher frequencies. As a result, water particles separate and travel freely, transitioning from solid to liquid. Melting is the process of transformation.
Liquid state → Gaseous state
When you place a pot of water over a flame, steam will rise, and the water in the pot will gradually drain. When we heat a liquid sufficiently, the particles that comprise it begin to move quicker. At a particular temperature, known as the boiling point, the particles possess enough energy to overcome the forces of attraction between them and escape as steam (gas). Evaporation is the method through which a liquid transforms into a gas.
Solid-state → Gaseous state
If you store the naphthalene balls in a dry environment, they will fade and vanish with time. It is among the solids that can go from solid to gas without altering. This method is known as sublimation.
Gaseous state → Solid-state
The matter may also transition directly from a gas to a solid form through the deposition process. Frost formations are a kind of deposition.
Characteristics of Matter
The table below depicts the chemical and physical properties of matter.
Physical characteristics
Physical attributes are classified into two categories:
⦁ Extensive properties: These are those that are affected by the quantity of substance, such as length and weight.
⦁ Intensive properties: They are not impacted by a material amount, such as temperature.
The physiological qualities of matter are those aspects that are independent of its chemical composition and may be seen without affecting the thing's nature.
⦁ Density Color Hardness
⦁ Boiling and melting
⦁ How electricity moves
⦁ Mass Volume Length Malleability
⦁ Odor Temperature
⦁ Chemical properties
When a component of dynamic complexity is changing, we may examine its chemical characteristics. These are some typical chemical properties:
⦁ The propensity of substances to mix or react is referred to as reactivity.
⦁ Whether or whether something is combustible or prone to catching fire.
⦁ Toxicity is the extent to which something may harm a living creature.
⦁ The ability to react with an acid is sometimes referred to as acidity.
⦁ oxidation state
⦁ Coordination number
⦁ Basicity
Conclusion
Everything around us is created out of matter. The matter may take on many forms depending on what is within it. Understanding how a material is formed is necessary to analyze its chemical and physical properties. Only by knowing all about a thing's qualities can you exploit it to its full potential.
You may study The States of Matter from the NCERT Class 11 Chemistry textbook and Solid State from the NCERT Class 12 Chemistry textbook effectively for the NEET and JEE exams if you understand what matter is. Students with doubts may consult NCERT Solutions for Grade 11 Chemistry & NCERT Solutions for 12th Class Chemistry.