Archbishop’s Seminary
States of Matter
Worksheets
Unit 1
Geraldine Fsadni
Unit 1 Matter
WORKSHEET
1. Which change of state is going on in the following processes:
a. thawing snow
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b. drying clothes
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c. misting up windows
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d. hoar-frost forming on grass on cold, clear nights ________________________
e. chips bubbling in a deep fat fryer ________________________
f. casting metals in a mould.
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2a. The statements below describe the usual size and shape taken by each state of matter.
Fill in the correct state of matter.
i) ………………….take any size or shape (fill all the space available).
ii) ………………….have a fixed size and keep their shape, unless a force is applied.
iii) …………………..have a fixed size but take the shape of the container that they
are put in.
(3 marks)
b. i) Describe the arrangement and movement of particles in a solid.
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ii) Describe what happens to the particles of a solid when it melts to a liquid.
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(6 marks)
c. The state in which a substance normally exists depends on its melting point and boiling
point in relation to room temperature. If room temperature is 25°C, in which state of
matter will each substance, given below, exist?
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Substance
Melting point
Boiling point
State
Ethane
-183°C
-88°C
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Naphthalene
80°C
218°C
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Butanol
-89°C
118°C
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(3 marks)
3. In the following diagram (fig. 1), the gases ammonia and hydrogen chloride have been
introduced at either end of a glass tube. After a short time a white smoke appears in the
tube.
a. Name or give the formula of the white smoke.
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b. Name the process by which the gases move in the glass tube.
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c. Suggest why ammonia moves more rapidly than hydrogen chloride.
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(3 marks)
4. Use the theory that matter is made of particles to explain the following observations.
a) An inflated balloon always goes down in a few days.
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b) Solids have fixed shapes.
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c) A closed syringe full of air can be easily compressed but if it is filled with water the
plunger cannot be pushed down.
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d) Liquids stay at the bottom of the containers they are put in.
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5. Explain the following processes by describing what happens to the particles of matter in
each case.
a) Clothes drying on a line.
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b) Sugar dissolving in a cup of coffee.
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c) pumping up your bike tyres quite hard gives a smooth ride.
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d) compressing a gas into half the volume will double its pressure.
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e) when two solids are placed on top of each other they do not mix.
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f) poisonous gases from a factory chimney can affect a large area.
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6. A gas tap in a laboratory is turned on. Explain, in terms of particles:
a) why only the people very near the gas tap smell the gas immediately.
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b) why everyone in the laboratory can smell the gas within a few minutes.
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7. Ammonia is an alkaline gas that turns litmus blue. It is lighter than air. A test tube of
ammonia gas is plaed over a test tube of air , like this:
Blue litmus paper
Ammonia gas
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Air
red litmus paper
a. After a short time the red litmus paper in the lower test tube turns blue. Explain why.
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b. Would it make any difference if you reverse the test tubes? Explain your answer.
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c. What will you see if the test tube of air is replaced by one containing hydrogen chloride?
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8. Give an explanation for the following statements

Telephone wires always sag between poles, they are never stretched
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
A gas filled thermometer is more sensitive than a liquid one.
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
In the olden days the metal ‘tyres’ for cartwheels were heated before being fitted on the
wheel.
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
Putting a screw-topped jar in hot water makes it easier to open.
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
Furniture often creaks at night.
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
Concorde is shorter before it takes off than when it is flying.
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9. Mark the following as True or False
Statement
True
False
All matter is made up of particles
There are limitless states of matter in
which an object can exist
The molecules of steam are identical to
those of ice: they just have a higher
energy
Liquids take the shape of the whole
container
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A gas jar is opened in a room. The gas
diffuses through the whole room
Particles in a gas can change shape
No solid can turn into a gas without
first becoming a liquid
When a solid is heated above its
melting point it melts
Water is heated from 20°C to 60°C. A
change of state occurs
Brownian motion supports the theory
that everything around us is made up of
continuously moving particles
Particles in a solid vibrate
A chemical change cannot be reversed
Solid particles have strong forces of
attraction between them
Reading a Heating/Cooling Curve Worksheet
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A heating curves how the temperature of a substance changes as heat is added at a constant rate. The
heating curve at right shows what happens when
heat is added at a constant rate to a beaker of ice.
The flat spot on the graph, at zero degrees Celsius,
shows that although heat was being added, the
temperature did not rise while the solid ice was
changing to liquid water. The heat energy was used
to break the attractive forces between water
molecules. Once all the ice changed to liquid water,
the temperature began to rise again. The problems
that follow will allow you practice reading heating
and cooling curves.
Example
The graph to the right is called a heating
curve because it shows the temperature
change for a sample of iron as heat is added at
a constant rate. The sample starts out as a
solid and ends as a gas.
Practice -answer the following
1.Label the appropriate sections of the graph “solid,” “liquid,” and “gas.”
2.Name the phase change that occurred between B & C. Explain what is happening and why the
temperature is not increasing even though heat is being added.
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3. In the heating curve for iron, describe the phase change that occurred between points D & E on
the graph.
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5.What is the melting point of iron? Explain how you know.
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6.What is the freezing temperature of iron? Explain how you know.
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7.What is the boiling temperature of iron? Explain how you know.
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8. Iron boils at 2700oC of iron and water boils at 100oC. Which substance needs more energy to
boil? Which substance has the strongest attractive forces between molecules?
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Read
The graph to the right shows a cooling curve
for stearic acid. Stearic acid is a waxy solid at
room temperature that is derived from animal
and vegetable fats. It is an ingredient in soap,
candles, and cosmetics. A sample of stearic
acid was placed in a test tube and heated to
95oC, at which point the stearic acid was
completely liquefied. The test tube was placed
in a beaker of ice water, and the temperature
monitored until it reached 40oC.
9.Label the appropriate graph sections “liquid” and“solid”.
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10. Between which two points on the graph did freezing occur? What does the graph look like?
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11. What is the freezing point of stearic acid? What is its melting point? Are they the same or
different?
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12. Compare the melting temperature of steric acid with the melting temperature of water. Which
substance has stronger attractive forces between molecules? Explain how you know.
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13. Can a substance be cooled to a temperature below its freezing point? Use evidence for any of
the graphs in this activity to support your answer.
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