Chemistry
Matter
What is matter?
Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space.
In other words matter is the stuff that the universe is made up of.
Anything you can touch, taste, or smell consists of matter. Examples of matter include:
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Atoms
Ions
Molecules
Furniture
People
Plants
Water
Rocks
What is matter made up of?
Matter is made up of atoms and ions. They are referred to as the building blocks
of matter. These atoms and ions help to make up the mass of the object.
Example
A block of carbon is made up of millions of carbon atoms. The amount of carbon
atoms present in the block will determine its mass. We can use a scale or balance
to measure the mass. The block is matter.
Particulate theory
About 2000 years ago a scientist demitrius suggested that matter is made up of
particles. As the years went by, scientist developed the theory into what we now
call the particle model of matter.
The particle theory consists of four main ideas:
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All matter is made up of tiny particles.
The particles of matter are always moving.
The particles have spaces between them.
Adding heat to matter makes the particles move faster.
States of matter
We will study three states of matter;
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Solids
Liquids
Gasses
An ice cube is a solid If it is left out, it will melt and become a liquid. If the liquid is
left unattended it will evaporate and become a gas.
Study the picture below, suggest the differences
between the different states
Solids
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Particles are very close together in an orderly pattern
The particles of a solid vibrate back and forth but
remain in a fixed position.
Particles have little kinetic energy
Solids have a fixed volume and a fixed shape
The particles in a solid are held together by a very
strong forces of attraction.
The spaces between particles are very small
Solids are rigid and they cannot be compressed easily
Liquids
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Molecules are not held closely together, however they are arranged in clusters
There is less attraction between the molecules.
The arrangement of particles is random
They have a definite volume
They take the shape of their container
Flows easily
Not easy to compress
Particles vibrate a lot and move through the liquid.
Gas
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Molecules are far apart and move about
haphazardly at high speeds
Large amounts of kinetic energy
Easily compressed
No fixed shape - take the shape of their
container
No fixed volume- Takes up any space available
Little to no force of attraction between
molecules