Chemistry 300
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Study Guide for: Matter - Properties and Change
Matter= anything that has mass and volume (takes up space)
Mass= the quantity of matter in an object (also, how much force it takes to accelerate it)
Volume= the amount of space occupied by an object
I Properties of Matter
A. Physical Properties – identifying characteristics that can be determined without changing the
composition of the material. Ex. – boiling point, volume, solubility, color.
Sample (how much you have). Ex. – length, quantity of heat, mass, volume.
B. Chemical Properties – identifying characteristics of a material that can only be determined by
an attempt to change the composition of the material; describes the ability to be changed, not
the actual process of changing. Ex. – flammability, oxidation, reaction with acids.
C. States of Matter – physical form of materials.
1. Solids – state of matter that has both a definite volume and a definite shape.
2. Liquids – state of matter that can flow and has a definite volume but assumes the shape
of its container.
3. Gases – state of matter that can flow and has neither a definite volume nor a definite
shape.
II Changes in Matter
A. Physical Changes – alteration to materials in which shape, number of pieces, or state is
different but the identifying characteristics remain the same. Ex. - melting, bending,
breaking, dissolving.
B. Chemical Changes – alteration to materials in which the composition of the material is
different; a new material is produced; describes the actual process of change. Ex. - burning,
decomposing, explosions, rusting, any reaction which makes a new material.
C. Signs of a Chemical Change (What to Look for in Labs):
a. Change in color
b. Change in odor
c. Production of a new substance
i. Gas (seen as bubbles)
ii. Solid (seen as a “precipitate” or other new, solid substance)
d. Energy change that did not result from adding or removing heat/energy manually
i. An increase in temperature indicates that heat was released by the reaction
to the environment (exothermic)
ii. A decrease in temperature indicates that heat was absorbed by the reaction
from the environment (endothermic)
IV Classifying Matter
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Pure substance = material that cannot be physically separated into its components. Elements
and compounds (molecules and ionic compounds) are pure substances.
Mixture = material that can be physically separated into its components
A. Mixtures – type of matter that contains two or more materials that are not chemically bonded
and are not in a definite ratio (proportion).
1. Heterogeneous Mixtures – Composition is NOT the same throughout. Matter that
contains two or more materials not chemically bonded, and has visually
distinguishable parts. Ex. – soil, vegetable soup, beach sand.
2. Homogeneous Mixtures (Solutions) – Composition is the same throughout. Matter
that contains two or more materials not chemically bonded, and has no visually
distinguishable parts. Ex. – soda, air, brass.
Separating Mixtures – techniques or processes for isolating one component of a
mixture from the others.
a. Filtration – separation technique that uses a porous barrier to isolate a
solid from a liquid.
b. Evaporation – separation technique removes the liquid from a solution as
a vapor.
B. Elements – homogeneous type of matter that consists of only one kind of atom; cannot be
further separated into simple substances by ordinary physical or chemical means. Ex. – iron,
neon, carbon.
C. Compounds – homogeneous type of matter that consists of two or more elements, chemically
bonded, in a definite ratio. Can be chemically separated into elements. They are combined
in fixed and regular amounts, with specific formulas. Ex. – water, sodium chloride, carbon
dioxide (CO2).
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