Properties of Matter Chapter 1

Properties of Matter

• A gas changes shape and volume when put into different containers.
• A liquid changes shape but not volume when put into different containers.
• A solid does not change shape or volume when put into different containers.
• Gas has the most amount of energy, while solid has the least amount of energy.
• In a solid, molecules vibrate in place.

Phase Changes

• Melting is a phase change from a solid to a liquid.
• Boiling is a phase change from a liquid to a gas.
• Freezing is a phase change from a liquid to a solid.
• Condensation is a phase change from a gas to a liquid.
• Deposition is a phase change from a gas to a solid.
• Sublimation is a phase change from a solid to a gas.
• Vaporization (Evaporation) is a phase change from a liquid to a gas.

Matter and Measurements

• Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space.
• Mass is the amount of matter in a substance, measured in grams (g).
• Volume is the amount of space a substance takes up, measured in cm² and mL.
• There are three ways to calculate volume: direct measure, math method, and displacement method.
• Temperature is a measure of the degree of agitation of particles, measured in °C.
• The degree of agitation refers to how quickly particles are moving.

Acidity and Alkalinity

• Acids taste sour and sharp, react with metal, have a pH below 7, and turn litmus paper red.
• Bases taste bitter and harsh, are slippery to touch, have a pH above 7, and turn litmus paper blue.
• The pH scale is a scale from 0 to 14 that measures the acidity/alkalinity.
• A pH of 7 is neutral, a pH lower than 7 indicates acidity, and a pH greater than 7 indicates a base.
• To use pH paper, dip the paper into the substance and compare the color to the color scale to determine the numerical value for the pH.
• The more acidic a substance, the lower the pH, and the more basic a substance, the higher the pH.
• Neutralizing a substance with a pH of 3 can be done by mixing it with a base with a pH of 11.

Characteristic Properties

• Characteristic properties are unique to a substance or group of substances and help identify them.
• Examples of characteristic properties include:
  • Melting/Freezing point
  • Boiling/Condensing point
  • Solubility
  • pH
  • Density
  • Hardness
  • Conductivity (electrical)
  • Conductivity (thermal)

Non-Characteristic Properties

• Non-characteristic properties are not unique to a substance or group of substances and do not help identify them.
• Examples of non-characteristic properties include:
  • Colour
  • Odour
  • Shape
  • Volume
  • Taste
  • Mass