States of Matter: Solid, Liquid, Gas, Plasma and BEC

• Matter is anything with mass that occupies space
• Matter can be classified in two ways: physical and chemical classification

Physical Classification

• Matter is classified based on physical properties and states, including solid, liquid and gas
• States of matter not commonly observed include plasma and Bose-Einstein condensate

Solid

• Solids have a fixed volume and shape and tightly packed particles with limited movement
• Examples include ice, wood, and rocks

Liquid

• Liquids have a fixed volume but no fixed shape, adapting to the container's shape
• Examples include water, oil, and milk

Gas

• Gases have neither a fixed volume nor shape, expanding to fill a container
• Examples include air, oxygen, and nitrogen

Plasma

• Plasma is a state of matter consisting of ionized gas with free charged particles
• Examples include stars, lightning, neon signs, and plasma televisions

Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC)

• BEC is formed when a gas of bosons is cooled to temperatures near absolute zero
• A significant portion of particles occupy the lowest energy state
• BEC is created in laboratories by cooling gases to extremely low temperatures

States of Matter Properties

• Solid particles are closely packed in an ordered manner with no freedom of movement, definite shape and volume, and exist at low temperature and high pressure

• Liquid particles are less closely packed, can move around to some extent, have definite volume but indefinite shape, and exist at intermediate pressure and temperature

• Gas particles are farthest apart with easy and fast movement, indefinite shape and volume, and exist at high temperature and low pressure

• Solid and Liquid phases coexist at the melting point for the same substance

• Liquid and gas phases coexist at the boiling point for the same substance

• Solid and gas phases coexist at the sublimation point for the same substance

• Solid, liquid, and gas phases coexist at the triple point for the same substance

• Phase is a state of matter uniform in density and composition

• Homogeneous mixtures are single phase

• Heterogeneous mixtures are multi-phase

• NaCl + H2O mixture has one phase

• Graphite + Diamond mixture has two phases

Chemical Classification

• Matter is divided into pure substances and mixtures

Pure Substances

• Pure substances have fixed composition and cannot be separated by physical methods
• Pure substances are either elements or compounds

Elements

• Elements consist of only one type of atom

Compounds

• Compounds consist of two or more types of atoms/ions
• Compounds are either ionic or covalent

Mixtures

• Mixtures have variable compositions and can be separated by physical methods into pure substances
• Mixtures are either homogeneous or heterogeneous

Homogeneous Solutions

• Homogeneous solutions have uniform composition and density throughout
• Examples include mixtures of gases, NaCl + H2O, Glucose + H2O, and alloys

Heterogeneous Solutions

• Heterogeneous solutions are not uniform in composition and/or density
• Examples include Graphite + Diamond, Fe + FeO, and Sand + H2O
• Different elements in a compound are present in a fixed ratio, characteristic of that compound
• Properties of a compound differ from its constituent elements
• Hydrogen and oxygen are gases, but water (H2O) is a liquid

Atomicity

• Atomicity is the number of atoms that form a molecule
• Substances are classified by the number of atoms in their molecules

Monoatomic

• Monoatomic molecules consist of single atoms, like argon, neon, helium, xenon

Diatomic

• Diatomic molecules consist of two atoms and include oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, chlorine, fluorine, HF, HCl, HBr, HI, CO, NO, BrCl etc.

Triatomic

• Triatomic molecules consist of three atoms, like water, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen cyanide

Polyatomic

• Polyatomic molecules consist of four or more atoms
• Sulfur has 8 atoms, and phosphorus has 4

Specific Properties of Substances

Deliquescence

• Deliquescence is when compounds absorb moisture from the atmosphere and become wet
• Examples include sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, anhydrous calcium chloride, anhydrous magnesium chloride, and anhydrous ferric chloride

Hygroscopicity

• Hygroscopicity is when compounds combine with atmospheric moisture and convert into hydroxides or hydrates
• Examples include anhydrous copper sulphate, quick lime (CaO), and anhydrous sodium carbonate

Efflorescence

• Efflorescence is when crystalline substances lose water of crystallization on exposure to dry air, becoming powdery
• Examples include ferrous sulphate, sodium carbonate, sodium sulphate, and potash alum

Malleability

• Malleability is a property of metals that allows them to be beaten into thin sheets without breaking
• Copper, gold, silver, aluminium, and lead are malleable, with gold being the most malleable

Ductility

• Ductility is the property of a metal that allows it to be drawn into wires
• Copper, silver, gold, aluminium, iron, etc., are ductile, and platinum is the most ductile

Brittleness

• Brittleness is when solid materials break into small pieces when hammered
• Non-metals and ionic solids are generally brittle, such as ice and Diamond