assignment topic explain the properties of matter

• States of Matter
• Properties Of Matter

Properties of Matter

What is matter.

Matter is any substance that has mass and takes up space by having volume.

Matter is described as something that has mass and occupies space. All physical structures are made up of matter, and the state or process of matter is an easily observed property of matter. Strong, liquid, and gas are the three basic states of matter.

Everything that exists is made up of matter. Atoms and substances are made up of minuscule pieces of matter. The atoms that make up the objects we see and touch every day are made up of matter. All that has mass and occupies space has volume is known as matter. The amount of matter in an object is measured by its mass.

Table of Contents

Recommended videos, physical properties of matter, intensive and extensive properties of matter, chemical properties of matter, frequently asked questions – faqs.

• Matter is made up of tiny particles called atoms and can be represented or explained as something that takes up space. It must display both the mass and volume properties.
• Properties are the characteristics that enable us to differentiate one material from another. A physical property is an attribute of matter that is independent of its chemical composition. 
• Density, colour, hardness, melting and boiling points, and electrical conductivity are all examples of physical properties. 
• Any characteristic that can be measured, such as an object’s density, colour, mass, volume, length, malleability, melting point, hardness, odour, temperature, and more, are considered properties of matter.

Both the physical and chemical properties of matter are either extensive or intensive. Extensive properties including mass and volume are proportional to the amount of matter being weighed. Density and colour, for example, are not affected by the amount of matter present.

• Intensive properties of matter – An intensive property is a bulk property, which means it is a system’s local physical property that is independent of the system’s size or volume of material. Intensive properties are those that are independent of the amount of matter present. Pressure and temperature, for example, are intensive properties.
• Extensive property of matter – A property that is dependent on the amount of matter in a sample is known as an extensive property. Extensive properties include mass and volume. The scale of the system or the volume of matter in it determines the extensive property of the system. Extensive properties are those in which the value of a system’s property is equal to the sum of the values for the parts of the system.

Chemical properties are characteristics that can only be measured or observed as matter transforms into a particular type of matter. Reactivity, flammability, and the ability to rust are among them. The tendency of matter to react chemically with other substances is known as reactivity. Flammability, toxicity, acidity, the reactivity of various types, and heat of combustion are examples of chemical properties.

• Reactivity – The tendency of matter to combine chemically with other substances is known as reactivity. Certain materials are highly reactive, whereas others are extremely inactive. Potassium, for example, is extremely reactive, even in the presence of water. A pea-sized piece of potassium reacts explosively when combined with a small volume of water.
• Flammability – The tendency of matter to burn is referred to as flammability. As matter burns, it reacts with oxygen and transforms into various substances. A flammable matter is anything like wood.
• Toxicity – Toxicity refers to the extent to which a chemical element or a combination of chemicals may harm an organism.
• Acidity – A substance’s ability to react with an acid is a chemical property. Some metals form compounds when they react with different acids. Acids react with bases to create water, which neutralizes the acid.

Chemical properties are extremely helpful when it comes to distinguishing compounds. Chemical properties, on the other hand, can only be detected when a material is in the process of being changed into another substance.

Related Topics

• Three States of Matter
• Matter in Our Surroundings
• Characteristics of Matter

Why are properties of matter important?

Scientists need to understand the properties of matter because it is made up of it. Solid, liquid, and gas are the three primary phases of matter. Depending on their physical features, most matter will exist in any of these states. More specifically, scientists deal with a wide range of materials.

What are the four properties of matter?

Mass, weight, and volume are examples of extensive properties that differ from the sum of the material. Colour, melting point, boiling point, electrical conductivity, and physical condition at a given temperature are examples of intensive properties that are independent of the volume of the material.

What is texture in the properties of matter?

Volume is a physical property of matter that can be measured quantitatively. Texture refers to how something feels to you when you touch it. Soft, smooth, rough, bumpy, silky, sticky, and chalky are some of the textures that objects can have. The texture of an object is determined by our sense of touch.

Can density be a property of matter?

Density is a physical property of matter that reflects the mass-to-volume relationship. The more mass an object has in a given amount of space, the denser it is. Density measurements are useful for distinguishing substances since different substances have different densities.

What are the observable properties of matter?

Observable properties are features or aspects of materials or artifacts that we can describe using our five senses. We can use our senses to assess colour, texture, hardness, and flexibility.

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1.3 Physical and Chemical Properties

Learning objectives.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Identify properties of and changes in matter as physical or chemical
• Identify properties of matter as extensive or intensive

The characteristics that distinguish one substance from another are called properties. A physical property is a characteristic of matter that is not associated with a change in its chemical composition. Familiar examples of physical properties include density, color, hardness, melting and boiling points, and electrical conductivity. Some physical properties, such as density and color, may be observed without changing the physical state of the matter. Other physical properties, such as the melting temperature of iron or the freezing temperature of water, can only be observed as matter undergoes a physical change. A physical change is a change in the state or properties of matter without any accompanying change in the chemical identities of the substances contained in the matter. Physical changes are observed when wax melts, when sugar dissolves in coffee, and when steam condenses into liquid water ( Figure 1.18 ). Other examples of physical changes include magnetizing and demagnetizing metals (as is done with common antitheft security tags) and grinding solids into powders (which can sometimes yield noticeable changes in color). In each of these examples, there is a change in the physical state, form, or properties of the substance, but no change in its chemical composition.

The ability to change from one type of matter into another (or the inability to change) is a chemical property . Examples of chemical properties include flammability, toxicity, acidity, and many other types of reactivity. Iron, for example, combines with oxygen in the presence of water to form rust; chromium does not oxidize ( Figure 1.19 ). Nitroglycerin is very dangerous because it explodes easily; neon poses almost no hazard because it is very unreactive.

A chemical change always produces one or more types of matter that differ from the matter present before the change. The formation of rust is a chemical change because rust is a different kind of matter than the iron, oxygen, and water present before the rust formed. The explosion of nitroglycerin is a chemical change because the gases produced are very different kinds of matter from the original substance. Other examples of chemical changes include reactions that are performed in a lab (such as copper reacting with nitric acid), all forms of combustion (burning), and food being cooked, digested, or rotting ( Figure 1.20 ).

Properties of matter fall into one of two categories. If the property depends on the amount of matter present, it is an extensive property . The mass and volume of a substance are examples of extensive properties; for instance, a gallon of milk has a larger mass than a cup of milk. The value of an extensive property is directly proportional to the amount of matter in question. If the property of a sample of matter does not depend on the amount of matter present, it is an intensive property . Temperature is an example of an intensive property. If the gallon and cup of milk are each at 20 °C (room temperature), when they are combined, the temperature remains at 20 °C. As another example, consider the distinct but related properties of heat and temperature. A drop of hot cooking oil spattered on your arm causes brief, minor discomfort, whereas a pot of hot oil yields severe burns. Both the drop and the pot of oil are at the same temperature (an intensive property), but the pot clearly contains much more heat (extensive property).

Chemistry in Everyday Life

Hazard diamond.

You may have seen the symbol shown in Figure 1.21 on containers of chemicals in a laboratory or workplace. Sometimes called a “fire diamond” or “hazard diamond,” this chemical hazard diamond provides valuable information that briefly summarizes the various dangers of which to be aware when working with a particular substance.

The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) 704 Hazard Identification System was developed by NFPA to provide safety information about certain substances. The system details flammability, reactivity, health, and other hazards. Within the overall diamond symbol, the top (red) diamond specifies the level of fire hazard (temperature range for flash point). The blue (left) diamond indicates the level of health hazard. The yellow (right) diamond describes reactivity hazards, such as how readily the substance will undergo detonation or a violent chemical change. The white (bottom) diamond points out special hazards, such as if it is an oxidizer (which allows the substance to burn in the absence of air/oxygen), undergoes an unusual or dangerous reaction with water, is corrosive, acidic, alkaline, a biological hazard, radioactive, and so on. Each hazard is rated on a scale from 0 to 4, with 0 being no hazard and 4 being extremely hazardous.

While many elements differ dramatically in their chemical and physical properties, some elements have similar properties. For example, many elements conduct heat and electricity well, whereas others are poor conductors. These properties can be used to sort the elements into three classes: metals (elements that conduct well), nonmetals (elements that conduct poorly), and metalloids (elements that have intermediate conductivities).

The periodic table is a table of elements that places elements with similar properties close together ( Figure 1.22 ). You will learn more about the periodic table as you continue your study of chemistry.

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1.2.1: Classification and Properties of Matter

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• Page ID 92764

• Stephen Lower
• Simon Fraser University

Learning Objectives

• Give examples of extensive and intensive properties of a sample of matter. Which kind of property is more useful for describing a particular kind of matter?
• Explain what distinguishes heterogeneous matter from homogeneous matter.
• Describe the following separation processes: distillation , crystallization , liquid-liquid extraction , chromatography .
• To the somewhat limited extent to which it is meaningful, classify a given property as a physical or chemical property of matter.

Matter is “anything that has mass and occupies space”, we were taught in school. True enough, but not very satisfying. A really complete answer is unfortunately beyond the scope of this course, but we will offer a hint of it in a later chapter on atomic structure. For the moment, let’s put off trying to define matter and focus on a chemist’s view: matter is what chemical substances are composed of. But what do we mean by chemical substances? How do we organize our view of matter and its properties? These very practical questions will be the subjects of this lesson.

Properties of Matter

The science of chemistry developed from observations made about the nature and behavior of different kinds of matter, which we refer to collectively as the properties of matter. The properties we refer to in this lesson are all macroscopic properties: those that can be observed in bulk matter. At the microscopic level, matter is of course characterized by its structure : the spatial arrangement of the individual atoms in a molecular unit or an extended solid. By observing a sample of matter and measuring its various properties, we gradually acquire enough information to characterize it; to distinguish it from other kinds of matter. This is the first step in the development of chemical science, in which interest is focused on specific kinds of matter and the transformations between them.

If you think about the various observable properties of matter, it will become apparent that these fall into two classes. Some properties, such as mass and volume, depend on the quantity of matter in the sample we are studying. Clearly, these properties, as important as they may be, cannot by themselves be used to characterize a kind of matter; to say that “water has a mass of 2 kg” is nonsense, although it may be quite true in a particular instance. Properties of this kind are called extensive properties of matter.

Suppose we take further measurements, and find that the same quantity of water whose mass is 2.0 kg also occupies a volume of 2.0 liters. We have measured two extensive properties (mass and volume) of the same sample of matter. This allows us to define a new quantity, the quotient m/V which defines another property of water which we call the density . Unlike the mass and the volume, which by themselves refer only to individual samples of water, the density (mass per unit volume) is a property of all samples of pure water at the same temperature. Density is an example of an intensive property of matter.

This definition of the density illustrates an important general rule: the ratio of two extensive properties is always an intensive property.

Intensive properties are extremely important, because every possible kind of matter possesses a unique set of intensive properties that distinguishes it from every other kind of matter. Some intensive properties can be determined by simple observations: color (absorption spectrum), melting point, density, solubility, acidic or alkaline nature, and density are common examples. Even more fundamental, but less directly observable, is chemical composition.

The more intensive properties we know, the more precisely we can characterize a sample of matter.

Intensive properties are extremely important, because every possible kind of matter possesses a unique set of intensive properties that distinguishes it from every other kind of matter. In other words, intensive properties serve to characterize matter . Many of the intensive properties depend on such variables as the temperature and pressure, but the ways in which these properties change with such variables can themselves be regarded as intensive properties.

Example \(\PageIndex{1}\)

Classify each of the following as an extensive or intensive property.

• The volume of beer in a mug
• The percentage of alcohol in the beer
• The number of calories of energy you derive from eating a banana
• The number of calories of energy made available to your body when you consume 10.0 g of sugar
• The mass of iron present in your blood
• The mass of iron present in 5 mL of your blood
• The electrical resistance of a piece of 22-gauge copper wire.
• The electrical resistance of a 1-km length of 22-gauge copper wire
• The pressure of air in a bicycle tire

extensive; depends on size of the mug.

intensive; same for any same-sized sample.

extensive; depends on size and sugar content of the banana.

intensive; same for any 10 g portion of sugar.

extensive; depends on volume of blood in the body.

intensive; the same for any 5 mL sample.

extensive; depends on length of the wire.

intensive; same for any 1 km length of the same wire.

pressure itself is intensive, but is also dependent on the quantity of air in the tire.

The last example shows that not everything is black or white! But we often encounter matter that is not uniform throughout, whose different parts exhibit different sets of intensive properties. This brings up another distinction that we address immediately below.

How to classify matter?

One useful way of organizing our understanding of matter is to think of a hierarchy that extends down from the most general and complex to the simplest and most fundamental. The orange-colored boxes represent the central realm of chemistry, which deals ultimately with specific chemical substances, but as a practical matter, chemical science extends both above and below this region.

Alternatively, when we are thinking about specific samples of matter, it may be more useful to re-cast our classification in two dimensions:

Notice, in the bottom line of boxes above, that "mixtures" and "pure substances" can fall into either the homogeneous or heterogeneous categories.

Homogeneous and heterogeneous: it's a matter of phases

Homogeneous matter (from the Greek homo = same) can be thought of as being uniform and continuous, whereas heterogeneous matter ( hetero = different) implies non-uniformity and discontinuity. To take this further, we first need to define "uniformity" in a more precise way, and this takes us to the concept of phases .

A phase is a region of matter that possesses uniform intensive properties throughout its volume. A volume of water, a chunk of ice, a grain of sand, a piece of copper— each of these constitutes a single phase, and by the above definition, is said to be homogeneous. A sample of matter can contain more than a single phase; a cool drink with ice floating in it consists of at least two phases, the liquid and the ice. If it is a carbonated beverage, you can probably see gas bubbles in it that make up a third phase.

Phase boundaries

Each phase in a multiphase system is separated from its neighbors by a phase boundary , a thin region in which the intensive properties change discontinuously. Have you ever wondered why you can easily see the ice floating in a glass of water although both the water and the ice are transparent? The answer is that when light crosses a phase boundary, its direction of travel is slightly bent, and a portion of the light gets reflected back; it is these reflected and distorted light rays emerging from that reveal the chunks of ice floating in the liquid.

If, instead of visible chunks of material, the second phase is broken into tiny particles, the light rays usually bounce off the surfaces of many of these particles in random directions before they emerge from the medium and are detected by the eye. This phenomenon, known as scattering , gives multiphase systems of this kind a cloudy appearance, rendering them translucent instead of transparent. Two very common examples are ordinary fog , in which water droplets are suspended in the air, and milk , which consists of butterfat globules suspended in an aqueous solution.

Getting back to our classification, we can say that Homogeneous matter consists of a single phase throughout its volume; heterogeneous matter contains two or more phases.

Dichotomies ("either-or" classifications) often tend to break down when closely examined, and the distinction between homogeneous and heterogeneous matter is a good example; this is really a matter of degree, since at the microscopic level all matter is made up of atoms or molecules separated by empty space! For most practical purposes, we consider matter as homogeneous when any discontinuities it contains are too small to affect its visual appearance.

How large must a molecule or an agglomeration of molecules be before it begins to exhibit properties of a being a separate phase? Such particles span the gap between the micro and macro worlds, and have been known as colloids since they began to be studied around 1900. But with the development of nanotechnology in the 1990s, this distinction has become even more fuzzy.

Pure Substances and Mixtures

The air around us, most of the liquids and solids we encounter, and all too much of the water we drink consists not of pure substances, but of mixtures . You probably have a general idea of what a mixture is, and how it differs from a pure substance; what is the scientific criterion for making this distinction?

To a chemist, a pure substance usually refers to a sample of matter that has a distinct set of properties that are common to all other samples of that substance. A good example would be ordinary salt, sodium chloride. No matter what its source (from a mine, evaporated from seawater, or made in the laboratory), all samples of this substance, once they have been purified , possess the same unique set of properties.

A pure substance is one whose intensive properties are the same in any purified sample of that same substance.

A mixture , in contrast, is composed of two or more substances, and it can exhibit a wide range of properties depending on the relative amounts of the components present in the mixture. For example, you can dissolve up to 357 g of salt in one litre of water at room temperature, making possible an infinite variety of "salt water" solutions. For each of these concentrations, properties such as the density, boiling and freezing points, and the vapor pressure of the resulting solution will be different.

Is anything really pure?

Those of us who enjoy peanut butter would never willingly purchase a brand advertised as "impure". But a Consumer Reports article published some years ago showed a table listing the number of "mouse droppings" and "insect parts" (presumably from peanut storage silos) they found in samples of all the major brands. Bon appetit !

Finally, we all prefer to drink "pure" water, but we don't usually concern ourselves with the dissolved atmospheric gases and ions such as Ca 2 + and HCO 3 - that are present in most drinking waters. But these harmless "impurities" are always present in those "pure" spring waters.

and para- water, respectively.

The bottom line: To a chemist, the term "pure" has meaning only in the context of a particular application or process.

Operational and conceptual classifications

Since chemistry is an experimental science, we need a set of experimental criteria for placing a given sample of matter in one of these categories. There is no single experiment that will always succeed unambiguously deciding this kind of question. However, there is one principle that will always work in theory, if not in practice. This is based on the fact that the various components of a mixture can, in principle, always be separated into pure substances.

Consider a heterogeneous mixture of salt water and sand. The sand can be separated from the salt water by the mechanical process of filtration. Similarly, the butterfat contained in milk may be separated from the water by a process known as churning , in which mechanical agitation forces the butterfat droplets to coalesce into the solid mass we know as butter. These examples illustrate the general principle that heterogeneous matter may be separated into homogeneous matter by mechanical means.

Turning this around, we have an operational definition of heterogeneous matter: If, by some mechanical operation we can separate a sample of matter into two or more other kinds of matter, then our original sample was heterogeneous. To find a similar operational definition for homogeneous mixtures, consider how we might separate the two components of a solution of salt water. The most obvious way would be to evaporate off the water, leaving the salt as a solid residue. Thus a homogeneous mixture can be separated into pure substances by undergoing appropriate partial changes of state— that is, by evaporation, freezing, etc.

Note the term partial in the above sentence; in the last example, we evaporate only the water, not the salt (which would be very difficult to do anyway!) The idea is that one component of the mixture is preferentially affected by the process we are carrying out. This principle will be emphasized in the following examples.

Separating homogeneous mixtures

Some common methods of separating homogeneous mixtures into their components are outlined below.

Distillation

A mixture of two volatile liquids is partly boiled away; the first portions of the condensed vapor will be enriched in the component having the lower boiling point. Note that if all the liquid were boiled away, the distillate would be identical with the original liquid. But if, say, half of the liquid is distilled, the distillate would contain a larger fraction of the more volatile component. If the distillate is then re-distilled, it can be further enriched in the low-boiling liquid. By repeating this process many times (aided by the fractionating column above the boiling vessel), a high degree of separation can be achieved.

Fractional crystallization

A hot saturated solution containing two or more dissolved solids is allowed to cool slowly; the least-soluble material crystallizes out first, and can be separated by filtration. This process is widely employed both in the laboratory and, on a much larger scale, in industry.

Similarly, a molten mixture of several components, when slowly cooled, will first yield crystals of the material having the highest melting point. This process occurs on a huge scale in nature when molten magma from the earth's mantle rises into the lithosphere and cools underground — a process that can take up to a million years. This is how the common rock known as granite is formed. Eventually these rocks rise and become exposed on the earth's surface.

Liquid-liquid Extraction

Two mutually-insoluble liquids, one containing two or more solutes (dissolved substances), are shaken together in a separatory funnel . Each solute will concentrate in the liquid in which it is more soluble. The two solutions are then separated by opening the stopcock at the bottom, allowing the more dense solution to drain out.

Physical and Chemical Properties

Since chemistry is partly the study of the transformations that matter can undergo, we can also assign to any substance a set of chemical properties that express the various changes of composition the substance is known to undergo. Chemical properties also include the conditions of temperature, etc., required to bring about the change, and the amount of energy released or absorbed as the change takes place.

The properties that we described above are traditionally known as physical properties , and are to be distinguished from chemical properties that usually refer to changes in composition that a substance can undergo. For example, we can state some of the more distinctive physical and chemical properties of the element sodium :

The more closely one looks at the distinction between physical and chemical properties, the more blurred this distinction becomes. For example, the high boiling point of water compared to that of methane, CH 4 , is a consequence of the electrostatic attractions between O-H bonds in adjacent molecules, in contrast to those between C-H bonds; at this level, we are really getting into chemistry! So although you will likely be expected to "distinguish between" physical and chemical properties on an exam, don't take it too seriously — this turns out to be a rather dubious dichotomy, loved by teachers, but of limited usefulness!

A Quick Guide to the Properties of Matter | General Chemistry 1

Matter is everything that exists in the world around us. Everything from the air to our hair, to planets and stars, is made of matter. Properties are what make something different from other things. The properties of matter can be classified by their chemical properties or physical properties, but they all have something in common: you can measure them!

Properties of matter help you classify objects because they define how an object will react under certain conditions - for example, if you put ice in a pot on your stovetop, it'll melt into water when heated up enough. So, let's take a look at the structure and properties of matter.

How Many Properties of Matter Are There?

All properties of matter can be categorized into two types: physical and chemical. Physical properties can be further broken down into two more categories: intensive or extensive .

What are the Physical Properties of Matter?

A physical property is a characteristic of matter that does not change with chemical composition. Familiar examples include density, color, and hardness; however they are far from the only ones! For instance, electrical conductivity is also a physical property, as well as melting points or boiling points for liquids at given pressures.

Extensive vs. Intensive Physical Properties

The measure of extensive properties - for example, mass and volume - is dependent upon the amount of matter that is being measured. Conversely, intensive properties are not affected by how much of a substance you have.

List of Intensive Properties:

• chemical potential (symbol μ)
• concentration (symbol c)
• density (symbol ρ) (or specific gravity)
• magnetic permeability (symbol μ)
• melting point and boiling point
• molality (symbol m or b)
• pressure (symbol p)
• refractive index
• specific conductance (or electrical conductivity)
• specific heat capacity (symbol cp)
• specific internal energy (symbol u)
• specific rotation (symbol [α])
• specific volume (symbol v)
• standard reduction potential (symbol E°)
• surface tension
• temperature (symbol T)
• thermal conductivity

List of Extensive Properties:

• amount of substance (symbol n)
• enthalpy (symbol H)
• entropy (symbol S)
• Gibbs energy (symbol G)
• heat capacity (symbol Cp)
• Helmholtz energy (symbol A or F)
• internal energy  (symbol U)
• mass (symbol m)
• volume (symbol V)

Physical Properties vs. Chemical Properties vs. States of Matter - What's the Difference?

Physical properties vs. chemical properties.

The main difference between physical properties and chemical properties is that the former are unaffected by the makeup of the substance. Density, for instance, has nothing to do with the chemicals in a substance. It is related to how tightly atoms or molecules are packed together in a volume. 

What Are Examples of Chemical Properties?

Chemical properties are what make up the change in matter that results in an entirely different kind of substance. Basically, a chemical change happens when the elements of a substance are reshuffled.

Certain properties can only be observed if matter undergoes this type of transformation, such as boiling points or melting points for instance!

Examples of chemical properties:

• ability to corrode
• acidity and basicity of a substance
• chemical stability in a given environment
• combustibility
• enthalpy of formation
• flammability
• heat of combustion
• preferred oxidation state(s)

Physical Properties vs. States of Matter

There are four different states of matter: solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. While physical properties are the same across all states of matter, there are some properties exclusive to a certain state. For example, a gas is unable to hold a shape by itself - it must be contained by other matter or air pressure.

What are the Examples of Different States of Matter?

A solid is a state in which matter has shape and volume but can't flow. A liquid is a state in which matter has shape, volume, and will flow. A gas is a state in which matter does not have shape or volume but can be compressed into a small space or let out into a large one. Plasma is the fourth state of matter which is similar to an ionized gas. It contains mostly free electrons and positively charged ions, which are left behind when one of these particles leaves its charge center.

Water is a substance that can exist in 3 of the 4 states of matter. It can be a liquid (regular water), solid (ice), or gas (steam). However, water cannot exist as a plasma because this state exists with far too much excitement.

What are the Properties of Elements in the Periodic Table?

Important terms to know that describe the properties of elements in the periodic table  include:

• Average atomic mass  
• Atomic size
• Electron configuration
• Electronegativity (Pauling)    
• First Ionization Energy (eV)
• Radii (pm)    
• Van der Waals
• Valence electrons
• Electron gain enthalpy 
• Electron affinity

What Properties of Matter Can be Measured?

Some properties can be measured, while others cannot. The properties that can be measured are things like pressure, weight, mass, density, temperature, and volume. The properties that cannot be measured are things like color and taste.

Why are Properties of Matter Important?

Properties of matter are important for many reasons. For one, the properties that can be measured allow scientists to determine how much work is needed to change an object from one state to another--this is called potential energy. 

Every object, from rocks to humans is made up of various forms and types of matter. It's important for scientists to know how these substances behave so that they can calculate what will happen when one interacts with another thing.

What Are the 4 Classifications of Matter?

Matter can be classified as an element, compound, or mixture with regard to its physical state and composition. This is based on whether the elements are together in one piece (a homogeneous mixture) or not mixed at all into another substance that has different properties like density for example (heterogeneous).

How do the Properties of Matter Help you Classify Objects?

The properties of matter help you to classify objects because properties like whether they're solids, liquids, or gases; whether they dissolve; and if they compress will determine which category the object falls into. 

It's important to remember that there are three main types of properties for matter: physical, chemical, and states. These different properties will affect how we can use the substance in various applications and understanding these differences will help you know best when to apply each type of property depending on your needs with whatever material you're working with. 

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Describing and Classifying Matter

Colourful liquids and periodic table (peepo, iStockphoto)

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Learn about the physical and chemical properties of matter.

Describing Matter

Each type of matter has its own unique properties. A  property  is a characteristic we can use to identify matter. We can use the properties of matter to know that wood is wood and gold is gold. The properties of matter fall into two categories. The first is physical properties. The second is chemical properties.

Physical Properties

A  physical property  is a way to describe the physical form of matter. We can identify some of these with our senses.  Colour  can be seen. So can  luster . This is how shiny or reflective something is.  Odour  can be smelled. Some things, like  acidity , can be tasted.  Texture  can be felt through touch. So can  hardness   and  temperature . A person can try to flatten things to test their  malleability . Or they can try to stretch things out to test their  ductility .

Shown is a colour illustration showing five senses and five examples of properties they can identify. Each illustration is on a pale blue circle against a cream background. The top row is labelled "Senses". The bottom row is labelled "Properties." Starting on the left, the first illustration shows a single blue eye. This is labelled "Sight." Below is an illustration of a rainbow and a gleaming pink gem. This is labelled "Colour" and "Lustre." The next illustration on the top is a mouth with the tongue sticking out. This is labelled "Taste." Below is a yellow lemon with one leaf, labelled "Acidity." The third is a hand on a white background. This is labelled "Touch." Below is a green cactus plant, with prickles, in a red pot. This is labelled "Texture, Hardness, Malleability, Ductility, Temperature." The fourth is one ear. This is labelled "Hearing." Below is a shiny, gold-coloured bell labelled "Sound." The fifth illustration is a nose, shown from the side. This is labelled "Smell." Below is a bunch of red tulip flowers. This is labelled "Odour."

Some properties can’t be identified through the senses. But they can be measured. Scientists do this without changing the matter. These properties include  boiling point ,  melting point ,  electrical conductivity ,  magnetism  and  density .

Physical properties can be intensive or extensive.

An  intensive property  does not depend on the amount of matter. Colour, odour, density and melting point are intensive properties. An  extensive property  depends on the amount of matter. These include things like mass, volume and length.

Shown is a colour illustration showing five examples of intensive properties and five examples of extensive properties. Each illustration is on a pale blue circle against a cream background. The top row is labelled "Intensive". The bottom row is labelled "Extensive." Starting on the top left, the first illustration shows a rainbow and a gleaming pink gem. This is labelled "Colour" and "Luster." The second is a yellow lemon with one leaf. It is labelled "Acidity." The third is a green cactus plant with prickles, in a red pot. It is labelled "Texture, Hardness, Malleability, Ductility, Temperature." The fourth is a shiny, gold-coloured bell. This is labelled "Sound." The fifth is a bunch of red tulip flowers. This is labelled "Smell." On the bottom row, starting on the left, the first illustration is a red weight with "KG" written on the front. This is labelled "Mass." The second is a blue jug. This is labelled "Volume." The third shows two bells. One large and one small. This is labelled "Size." The fourth shows a purple bathroom scale. This is labelled "Weight." The last illustration shows a ruler and a tape measure. This is labelled "Length."

Chemical Properties

A  chemical property  describes how likely it is the matter will go through a  chemical reaction . Here are some examples of chemical properties:

Flammability

Flammability  Is the ability of matter to burn or combust. Things that are flammable can ignite easily and burn quickly. Flammable matter is often called  fuel .

Wood, gasoline and wax are all flammable.

Shown is a diamond shape outlined in red on a white background. An illustration inside shows a large flame growing from a flat surface. The flame has two layers. The centre is white and the outside is black, as if it has grown large. A black bar along the bottom edge indicates a surface.

Corrosiveness

Corrosiveness  is the ability of matter to ‘eat away’ another substance. It is important to wear safety equipment to protect your skin and eyes when using corrosive materials.

Corrosive materials include strong acids and bases. Hydrochloric acid and bleach are both corrosive.

Shown is a diamond shape outlined in red on a white background. An illustration inside shows liquid damaging skin and other materials. On the left, a test tube drips liquid onto a black bar, making a hole in it. The hole has jagged lines above it, indicating damage. On the right, a test tube drips liquid onto a hand. Jagged lines above indicate injury.

Is the ability of a material to cause damage to living things. Toxic materials cause harm when inhaled, swallowed or contact skin.

Lead, mercury, and chlorine gas are all toxic.

Shown is a diamond shape outlined in red on a white background. An illustration inside shows a skull and crossbones. The illustration is simplified. The human skull sits on a pair of long bones crossed in an X. It resembles the symbol used on pirate flags.

Classifying Matter

There are different ways to classify matter. One way is to classify it as a pure substance or a mixture.

Pure Substances

A  pure substance  is the same throughout. It can’t be separated into other substances, or transformed into a new substance.

The physical properties of a pure substance never change. Water is a pure substance. So, the boiling point of water is always 100 degrees Celsius at a pressure of 101.3 kilopascals.

Pure substances only contain one type of  element  or  compound .

Elements  are a type of pure substance. They contain only one type of  atom . These include carbon (C), silver (Ag) and gold (Au). Scientists have organized the elements into a chart called  The Periodic Table of Elements .

Click here to access screen reader  Accessible Periodic Tables

Each element has a specific set of properties. These are called  characteristic properties . Characteristic properties are all extensive. These include density, melting point, boiling point, electronegativity and atomic weight.

Did you know? Currently, there are 118 known elements. Several of these  elements were discovered  during your lifetime!

Compounds  are another type of pure substance. Compound molecules contain two or more elements. These are held together by chemical bonds. For example, carbon dioxide molecules have one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms.

Shown is a colour diagram of a molecule labelled O2 and a molecule labelled CO2 on a cream background. The O2 diagram shows two blue spheres labelled "O", side-by-side. These are joined by two thick, black, horizontal lines. The CO2 diagram has a red sphere labelled "C" in the centre, with one blue "O" sphere on either side. These are joined by two sets of thick, black, horizontal lines.

Compounds also have a fixed ratio. For example, a water molecule always has two hydrogen atoms (H) and one oxygen atom (O).

Compounds can be broken down into their individual elements. This is done through chemical reactions. For example, water can be broken down into hydrogen and oxygen using  electrolysis .

The properties of a compound are different from the properties of each element it contains. Water has different properties than hydrogen or oxygen.

Mixtures  are a physical combination of two or more pure substances. When they are mixed together, each pure substance keeps its own properties. For example, salt water does not have the same properties as either salt or water. It is not a white crystalline powder like salt. And it freezes at a lower temperature than water.

Mixtures can be either  homogeneous  or  heterogeneous .

A  homogeneous mixture  has the same composition throughout. Salt water is a good example of a homogeneous mixture. This is because dissolved salt is spread evenly through the mixture.

Another name for a homogeneous mixture is a  solution . Solutions can be made of liquids, gases or solids. Air is a solution made of gases.  Alloys  are solutions made of metals. These include bronze and brass.

Shown are three colour photographs arranged in a row. The first is a glass and a bottle of milk, second is a hot air balloon, and third is a brass bell. The milk containers are clear glass, sitting on a marble table with a teal background. The camera is looking up at the yellow, orange, red and blue striped balloon, flying in the bright blue sky. The bell is a pale gold colour and gleaming in the sun. It is mounted on a curved white wall with deep blue sky in the background.

A  heterogeneous mixture  is not the same throughout. The individual parts can be seen in these mixtures. Vegetable soup is a heterogeneous mixture. Each spoonful might include different vegetables, in different amounts. Heterogeneous mixtures also include things like salad dressing or mixed nuts.

What's Matter?  (2015) This video (3:30 min.) from Crash Course Kids defines matter and shows an experiment you can do at home.

Science Bits: Pure Substances and Mixtures  (2014) This short video (2:08 min.) from Science Bits is an overview of pure substances and mixtures.

Physical and Chemical Properties  (2023) This video (2:36 min.) from MooMooMath and Science explains the difference between physical and chemical properties, along with examples.

Extensive vs Intensive Properties of Matter - Explained  (2015) This video (6:03 min.) from Chem Academy explores several examples of extensive and intensive properties and works through sample problems.

Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. (2018).  Pictograms . 

Helmenstine, A.M. (Updated 2020, Jan. 24) .  Chemical Properties of Matter . Thought Co.

Helmenstine, A.M. (Updated 2019, Dec. 4).  The Difference Between Intensive and Extensive Properties . Thought Co.

Science Buddies. (2016, April 7).  Splitting Water . Scientific American.

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Physical Property of Matter – Definition and Examples

A physical property of matter is a characteristic that can be observed and measured without changing the chemical identity of a substance. Any property that can only be observed after a chemical change occurs is a chemical property , but a physical property can be seen when no change occurs or when a physical change happens. Examples of physical changes include phase changes between states or matter and changing the form of matter by folding or cutting it.

Physical properties include traits we can observe using our senses, so they are important for describing matter.

Physical Property Examples

Physical properties include mechanical properties and any characteristic you can see, smell, taste, or touch. Here are some examples of physical properties :

• Albedo – reflectivity of an object
• Area – size of a two-dimensional surface
• Boiling point – temperature at which a liquid changes into a gas
• Brittleness – tendency to break under stress
• Color – wavelengths of light reflected by matter
• Density – amount of matter per unit of volume
• Ductility – measure of how readily a substance stretches into a wire
• Malleability – measure of how readily a substance may be pounded or pressed into sheets
• Freezing point – temperature at which a substance changes from a liquid into a solid
• Length – longest dimension of an object
• Luster – measure of the interaction between light and an object’s surface
• Mass – amount of matter in an object
• Solubility – amount of matter that dissolves in a solvent
• Temperature – measure of the thermal energy of a substance
• Viscosity – resistance to deformation by stress; resistance to flow
• Volume – three-dimensional space a substance occupies
• Weight – effect of gravity on a mass

Intensive and Extensive Physical Properties

The two broad categories of physical properties are intensive and extensive properties .

An intensive property does not depend on the size or mass of a sample. For example, density is an intensive property because it is the same no matter where you sample a substance. Other intensive properties include boiling point, freezing point, viscosity, luster, and state of matter.

In contrast, an extensive property does depend on the amount of matter in a sample. For example, mass depends on sample size. Other examples of extensive properties include length, volume, area, and thermodynamic properties such as enthalpy and entropy .

Isotropic and Anisotropic Physical Properties

Another was to classify a physical property is as isotropic or anisotropic . An anisotropic property does not depend on the orientation of the sample. For example, mass and volume are isotropic because the direction of the matter being measured doesn’t matter. An isotropic property does depend on sample orientation. For example, a crystal might appear one color when viewed from a certain angle and a different color when viewed from another angle.

Isotropic and anisotropic physical properties depend on the specimen. So, color or opacity might be an isotropic property for one substance, but not for another. Usually, these terms are reserved for optical and mechanical properties in materials science.

• Burgin, Mark (2016). Theory Of Knowledge: Structures And Processes . World Scientific. ISBN 9789814522694.
• Emiliani, Cesare (1987). Dictionary of the Physical Sciences: Terms, Formulas, Data . Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-503651-0.
• Meyers, Robert A. (2001). Encyclopedia of Physical Science and Technology (3rd ed.). Academic Press.

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18 Physical and Chemical Properties of Matter

LumenLearning

Physical and Chemical Properties of Matter

Properties of matter can be classified as either extensive or intensive and as either physical or chemical.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Recognize the difference between physical and chemical, and intensive and extensive, properties.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• All properties of matter are either physical or chemical properties, and physical properties are either intensive or extensive.
• Extensive properties, such as mass and volume, depend on the amount of matter being measured.
• Intensive properties, such as density and color, do not depend on the amount of the substance present.
• Physical properties can be measured without changing a substance’s chemical identity.
• Chemical properties can be measured only by changing a substance’s chemical identity.
• intensive property : Any characteristic of matter that does not depend on the amount of the substance present.
• extensive property : Any characteristic of matter that depends on the amount of matter being measured.
• physical property : Any characteristic that can be determined without changing the substance’s chemical identity.
• chemical property : Any characteristic that can be determined only by changing a substance’s molecular structure.

All properties of matter are either extensive or intensive and either physical or chemical. Extensive properties, such as mass and volume, depend on the amount of matter that is being measured. Intensive properties, such as density and color, do not depend on the amount of matter. Both extensive and intensive properties are physical properties, which means they can be measured without changing the substance’s chemical identity. For example, the freezing point of a substance is a physical property: when water freezes, it’s still water ([latex]\text{H}_2\text{O}[/latex])—it’s just in a different physical state.

A chemical property, meanwhile, is any of a material’s properties that becomes evident during a chemical reaction, that is, any quality that can be established only by changing a substance’s chemical identity. Chemical properties cannot be determined just by viewing or touching the substance; the substance’s internal structure must be affected for its chemical properties to be investigated.

Physical Properties

Physical properties are properties that can be measured or observed without changing the chemical nature of the substance. Some examples of physical properties are:

• color (intensive)
• density (intensive)
• volume (extensive)
• mass (extensive)
• boiling point (intensive): the temperature at which a substance boils

Chemical Properties

Remember, the definition of a chemical property is that measuring that property must lead to a change in the substance’s chemical structure. Here are several examples of chemical properties:

• Heat of combustion is the energy released when a compound undergoes complete combustion (burning) with oxygen. The symbol for the heat of combustion is [latex]\Delta \text{H}_\text{c}[/latex].
• Chemical stability refers to whether a compound will react with water or air (chemically stable substances will not react). Hydrolysis and oxidation are two such reactions and are both chemical changes.
• Flammability refers to whether a compound will burn when exposed to flame. Again, burning is a chemical reaction—commonly a high-temperature reaction in the presence of oxygen.
• The preferred oxidation state is the lowest-energy oxidation state that a metal will undergo reactions in order to achieve (if another element is present to accept or donate electrons).

Physical and Chemical Changes to Matter

There are two types of change in matter: physical change and chemical change.

Identify the key features of physical and chemical changes.

• Physical changes only change the appearance of a substance, not its chemical composition.
• Chemical changes cause a substance to change into an entirely new substance with a new chemical formula.
• Chemical changes are also known as chemical reactions. The “ingredients” of a reaction are called reactants, and the end results are called products.
• chemical change : A process that causes a substance to change into a new substance with a new chemical formula.
• chemical reaction : A process involving the breaking or making of interatomic bonds and the transformation of a substance (or substances) into another.
• physical change : A process that does not cause a substance to become a fundamentally different substance.

There are two types of change in matter: physical change and chemical change. As the names suggest, a physical change affects a substance’s physical properties, and a chemical change affects its chemical properties. Many physical changes are reversible (such as heating and cooling), whereas chemical changes are often irreversible or only reversible with an additional chemical change.

“Physical & Chemical Changes”: This video describes physical and chemical changes in matter.

Physical Changes

Another way to think about this is that a physical change does not cause a substance to become a fundamentally different substance, but a chemical change causes a substance to change into something chemically new. Blending a smoothie, for example, involves two physical changes: the change in shape of each fruit and the mixing together of many different pieces of fruit. Because none of the chemicals in the smoothie components are changed during blending (the water and vitamins from the fruit are unchanged, for example), we know that no chemical changes are involved.

Cutting, tearing, shattering, grinding, and mixing are further types of physical changes because they change the form but not the composition of a material. For example, mixing salt and pepper creates a new substance without changing the chemical makeup of either component.

Phase changes are changes that occur when substances are melted, frozen, boiled, condensed, sublimated, or deposited. They are also physical changes because they do not change the nature of the substance.

Chemical Changes

Chemical changes are also known as chemical reactions. The “ingredients” of a reaction are called the reactants, and the end results are called the products. The change from reactants to products is signified by an arrow:

[latex]\text{Reactants }\rightarrow\text{ Products}[/latex]

The formation of gas bubbles is often the result of a chemical change (except in the case of boiling, which is a physical change). A chemical change might also result in the formation of a precipitate, such as the appearance of a cloudy material when dissolved substances are mixed.

Rotting, burning, cooking, and rusting are all further types of chemical changes because they produce substances that are entirely new chemical compounds. For example, burned wood becomes ash, carbon dioxide, and water. When exposed to water, iron becomes a mixture of several hydrated iron oxides and hydroxides. Yeast carries out fermentation to produce alcohol from sugar.

An unexpected color change or release of odor also often indicates a chemical change. For example, the color of the element chromium is determined by its oxidation state; a single chromium compound will only change color if it undergoes an oxidation or reduction reaction. The heat from cooking an egg changes the interactions and shapes of the proteins in the egg white, thereby changing its molecular structure and converting the egg white from translucent to opaque.

The best way to be completely certain whether a change is physical or chemical is to perform chemical analyses, such as mass spectroscopy, on the substance to determine its composition before and after a reaction.

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This chapter is an adaptation of the chapter “ Physical and Chemical Properties of Matter ” in Boundless Chemistry by LumenLearning and is licensed under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Any characteristic of matter that does not depend on the amount of the substance present.

Any characteristic of matter that depends on the amount of matter being measured.

Any characteristic that can be determined without changing the substance’s chemical identity.

Any characteristic that can be determined only by changing a substance’s molecular structure.

A process that causes a substance to change into a new substance with a new chemical formula.

A process involving the breaking or making of interatomic bonds and the transformation of a substance (or substances) into another.

A process that does not cause a substance to become a fundamentally different substance.

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Properties & States of Matter (Physics): An Overview

The physical properties of matter underlie much of physics. In addition to understanding states of matter, phase changes and chemical properties, when discussing matter, it is important to understand physical quantities such as density (mass per unit volume), mass (amount of matter) and pressure (force per unit area).

Atoms and Molecules

The everyday matter than you are familiar with is made of atoms. This is why atoms are commonly called the building blocks of matter. There are more than 109 different types of atoms, and they represent all elements on the periodic table.

The two main parts of the atom are the nucleus and the electron shell. The nucleus is the heaviest part of the atom by far and is where most of the mass is. It is a tightly bound region at the center of the atom, and despite its mass, it takes up relatively little space compared to the rest of the atom. In the nucleus are protons (positively charged particles) and neutrons (negatively charged particles). The number of protons in the nucleus determines which element the atom is, and different numbers of neutrons correspond to different isotopes of that element.

The electrons are negatively charged particles that form a diffuse cloud or shell around the nucleus. In a neutrally charged atom, the number of electrons is the same as the number of protons. If the number is different, the atom is called an ion.

Molecules are atoms that are held together by chemical bonds. There are three major types of chemical bonds: ionic, covalent and metallic. Ionic bonds occur when a negative and positive ion are attracted to each other. A covalent bond is a bond in which two atoms share electrons. Metallic bonds are bonds in which the atoms act like positive ions embedded in a sea of free electrons.

The microscopic properties of atoms and molecules give rise to the macroscopic properties that determine the behavior of matter. The response of the molecules to changes in temperature, the strength of the bonds and so on all lead to properties like specific heat capacity, flexibility, reactivity, conductivity and many others.

States of Matter

A state of matter is one of many possible distinct forms that matter can exist in. There are four states of matter: solid, liquid, gas and plasma. Each state has distinct properties that distinguish it from the other states, and there are phase transition processes by which matter changes from one state to another.

Properties of Solids

When you think of a solid, you probably think of something hard or firm in some way. But solids can be flexible, deformable and malleable as well.

Solids are distinguished by their tightly bound molecules. Matter in its solid state tends to be more dense than when it is in its liquid state (though there are exceptions, most notably water). Solids hold their shape and have a fixed volume.

One type of solid is a ​ crystalline ​ solid. In a crystalline solid, the molecules are arranged in a repeating pattern throughout the material. Crystals are easily identifiable by their macroscopic geometry and symmetries.

Another type of solid is an ​ amorphous ​ solid. This is a solid in which the molecules are not arranged in a crystal lattice at all. A ​ polycrystalline ​ solid is somewhere in between. It is often composed of small, single crystal structures, but without a repeating pattern.

Properties of Liquids

Liquids are made of molecules that can flow easily past each other. The water you drink, the oil you cook with and the gasoline in your car are all liquids. Unlike solids, liquids take the shape of the bottom of their container.

Though liquids can expand and contract at different temperatures and pressures, these changes are often small, and for most practical purposes, liquids can be assumed to have a fixed volume as well. The molecules in a liquid can flow past each other.

A liquid’s propensity to be slightly “sticky” when attached to a surface is called ​ adhesion ​, and the ability of liquid molecules to want to stick together (such as when a water droplet forms a ball on a leaf) is called ​ cohesion ​.

In a liquid, pressure depends on depth, and because of this, submerged or partially submerged objects will feel a buoyant force due to the difference in pressure on the top and bottom of the object. Archimedes' principle describes this effect and explains how objects float or sink in liquids. It can be summarized by the statement that “the buoyant force is equal to the weight of displaced liquid.” As such, the buoyant force depends on the density of the liquid and the size of the object. Objects that are more dense than the liquid will sink, and those that are less dense will float.

Properties of Gases

Gases contain molecules that can move easily around each other. They take the full shape and volume of their container and very easily expand and contract. Important properties of a gas include pressure, temperature and volume. In fact, these three quantities are sufficient to completely describe the macroscopic state of an ideal gas.

An ideal gas is a gas in which the molecules can be approximated as point particles and in which it is assumed that they don’t interact with each other. The ideal gas law describes the behavior of many gases and is given by the formula

where ​ P ​ is pressure, ​ V ​ is volume, ​ n ​ is the number of moles of a substance, ​ R ​ is the ideal gas constant (​ R ​ = 8.3145 J/molK) and ​ T ​ is temperature.

An alternative formulation of this law is

where ​ N ​ is the number of molecules and ​ k ​ is Boltzmann's constant (​ k ​ = 1.38065 × 10 -23 J/K). (A skeptical reader can verify that ​ nR = Nk ​.)

Gases also exert buoyant forces on objects immersed in them. While most everyday objects are denser than the air around us, making this buoyant force not very noticeable, a helium balloon is a perfect example of this.

Properties of Plasma

Plasma is a gas that has become so hot that the electrons tend to leave the atoms, leaving positive ions in a sea of electrons. Because there are an equal number of positive and negative charges in the plasma overall, it is considered quasi-neutral, although the separation and local clumping of charges causes the plasma to behave very differently than a regular gas.

Plasma is influenced significantly by electric and magnetic fields. These fields do not need to be external either, as the charges in the plasma itself create electric fields and magnetic fields as they move, which influence each other.

At lower temperatures and energies, the electrons and ions want to recombine into neutral atoms, so for a plasma state to be maintained generally requires high temperatures. However, so called non-thermal plasma can be created where the electrons themselves maintain a high temperature while the ionized nuclei do not. This happens in mercury-vapor gas in a fluorescent lamp, for example.

There isn’t necessarily a distinct cut off between a “normal” gas and plasma. The atoms and molecules in a gas can become ionized by degrees, displaying more plasmalike dynamics the closer the gas gets to being fully ionized. Plasma is distinguished from standard gases by its high electrical conductivity, the fact that it acts like a system with two distinct types of particles (positive ions and negative electrons) as opposed to a system with one type (neutral atoms or molecules), and particle collisions and interactions that are much more complex than the 2-body “pool ball” interactions in a standard gas.

Examples of plasma include lightning, the Earth’s ionosphere, fluorescent lighting and gases in the sun.

Phase Changes

Matter can undergo a physical change from one phase or state to another. The main factors that affect this change are pressure and temperature. As a general rule, a solid must become warmer to turn into a liquid, a liquid must become warmer to turn into a gas, and a gas must become warmer to become ionized and become a plasma. The temperatures at which these transitions occur depend on the material itself as well as the pressure. In fact, it is possible to go straight from a solid to a gas (this is called sublimation) or from a gas to a solid (deposition) under the right conditions.

When a solid is heated to its melting point, it becomes a liquid. Heat energy must be added to heat the solid up to the melting temperature, and then additional heat must be added to complete the phase transition before the temperature can continue to rise. The ​ latent heat of fusion ​ is a constant associated with each particular material that determines how much energy is required to melt a unit mass of the substance.

This works in the other direction as well. As a liquid cools, it must give off heat energy. Once it reaches the freezing point, it must continue to give off energy in order to undergo the phase transition before the temperature can continue to lower.

Similar behavior occurs when a liquid is heated to its boiling point. Heat energy is added, causing the temperature to rise, until it begins to boil, at which point the added heat energy is used to cause the phase transition, and the temperature of the resulting gas will not rise until all of the liquid has changed phase. A constant called the ​ latent heat of vaporization ​ determines, for a particular substance, how much energy is required to change the substance’s phase from liquid to gas per unit mass. The latent heat of vaporization for a substance is generally much greater than the latent heat of fusion.

Chemical Properties

Chemical properties of matter determine what types of chemical reactions or chemical changes can occur. Chemical properties are distinct from physical properties in that they require some sort of chemical change in order to measure them.

Examples of chemical properties include flammability (how easy it is for a material to burn), reactivity (how easily it undergoes chemical reactions), stability (how likely it is to resist chemical change) and types of bonds the material can form with other materials.

When a chemical reaction occurs, the bonds between atoms are altered and new substances are formed. Common types of chemical reactions include combination (in which two or more molecules combine to form a new molecule), decomposition (in which a molecule breaks apart into two or more different molecules) and combustion (in which compounds combine with oxygen, releasing significant amounts of heat – more commonly referred to as “burning”) to name a few.

Related Articles

What is an atom.

• The Physics Classroom: The Structure of Matter
• Georgia State University: HyperPhysics: Phase Changes

About the Author

Gayle Towell is a freelance writer and editor living in Oregon. She earned masters degrees in both mathematics and physics from the University of Oregon after completing a double major at Smith College, and has spent over a decade teaching these subjects to college students. Also a prolific writer of fiction, and founder of Microfiction Monday Magazine, you can learn more about Gayle at gtowell.com.

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1.15: Assignment—Matter and Measurement

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To download a copy of the assignment, please click on the link Sample Questions .

As you work these matter and measurement problems, consider and explain:

• What type of question is it?
• How do you know what type of question it is?
• What information are you looking for?
• What information do they give?
• How will you go about solving this?
• Show how to solve the problem.
• Be able to answer for a different reaction, number, set of conditions, etc.

Sample Questions

Consider the following choices when answering questions 1–2:

• Which best represents a gaseous compound?
• Which best represents a homogeneous mixture of an element and a compound?
• homogeneous mixture
• heterogeneous mixture
• pure mixture
• distilled mixture
• An example of a pure substance is ________.
• ________ are substances with constant composition that can be broken down into elements by chemical processes.
• The state of matter for an object that has a definite volume but not a definite shape is ________.
• Explain if the boiling of water is a physical or a chemical change and why.
• What is 409 Kelvin in Fahrenheit and in Celsius?
• How many grams are in 8.1 kilograms?

• Figure I only
• Figure II only
• Figure III only
• Figure I and Figure III
• Figure II and Figure III

The balance is

• Both accurate and precise.
• Accurate but imprecise.
• Precise but inaccurate.
• Both inaccurate and imprecise.
• Accuracy and precision are impossible to determine with the available information.
• A scientist obtains the number 0.045006700 on a calculator. If this number actually has four (4) significant figures, how should it be written?
• Express the number 0.000333 in scientific notation.
• Express 165,000 in exponential notation.
• You are asked to determine the perimeter of the cover of your textbook. You measure the length as 39.36 cm and the width as 24.83 cm. How many significant figures should you report for the perimeter?
• Consider the numbers 23.68 and 4.12. The sum of these numbers has ________ significant figures, and the product of these numbers has ________ significant figures.
• How many significant figures are in 0.00110?
• Convert 0.3980 m to mm.
• The distance of 21 km equals how many meters?
• Convert 59.4 mi to km. (1 m = 1.094 yard, 1 mi = 1760 yd)
• For spring break you and some friends plan a road trip to a sunny destination that is 2105 miles away. If you drive a car that gets 33 miles per gallon and gas costs $3.199/gal, about how much will it cost to get to your destination?
• Convert 7.9 kg to lb. (1 kg = 2.205 lb)
• A wavelength of red light is measured at 655 mm. What is this measurement in cm?
• A 20 mL sample of glycerol has a mass of 25.2 grams. What is the mass of a 57-mL sample of glycerol?

[reveal-answer q=”781529″]Show Sample Answers[/reveal-answer] [hidden-answer a=”781529″]

• elements, compounds, pure water, carbon dioxide etc
• liquid state
• physical change because the gaseous water is chemically the same as the liquid
• 8.1 × 10 3
• 3.33 × 10 -4
• 1.65 × 10 5
• 2.1 × 10 4 m
• 9.56 × 10 1 km
• 6.55 × 10 -5 cm

[/hidden-answer]

• Authored by : Jessica Garber. Provided by : Tidewater Community College. License : CC BY: Attribution

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Not only do electrostatic occurrences permeate the events of everyday life, without the forces associated with static electricity, life as we know it would be impossible. Electrostatic forces - both attractive and repulsive in nature - hold the world of atoms and molecules together in perfect balance. Without this electric force, material things would not exist. Atoms as the building blocks of matter depend upon these forces. And material objects, including us Earthlings, are made of atoms and the acts of standing and walking, touching and feeling, smelling and tasting, and even thinking is the result of electrical phenomenon. Electrostatic forces are foundational to our existence.

One of the primary questions to be asked in this unit of The Physics Classroom is: How can an object be charged and what affect does that charge have upon other objects in its vicinity? The answer to this question begins with an understanding of the structure of matter. Understanding charge as a fundamental quantity demands that we have an understanding of the structure of an atom. So we begin this unit with what might seem to many students to be a short review of a unit from a Chemistry course.

History of Atomic Structure

The early Greeks were simply philosophers. They did not perform experiments to test their theories. In fact, science as an experimental discipline did not emerge as a credible and popular practice until sometime during the 1600s. So the search for the atom remained a philosophical inquiry for a couple of millennia. From the 1600s to the present century, the search for the atom became an experimental pursuit. Several scientists are notable; among them are Robert Boyle, John Dalton, J.J. Thomson, Ernest Rutherford, and Neils Bohr.

Boyle's studies (middle to late 1600s) of gaseous substances promoted the idea that there were different types of atoms known as elements. Dalton (early 1800s) conducted a variety of experiments to show that different elements can combine in fixed ratios of masses to form compounds. Dalton subsequently proposed one of the first theories of atomic behavior that was supported by actual experimental evidence.

English scientist J.J. Thomson's cathode ray experiments (end of the 19th century) led to the discovery of the negatively charged electron and the first ideas of the structure of these indivisible atoms. Thomson proposed the Plum Pudding Model , suggesting that an atom's structure resembles the favorite English dessert - plum pudding. The raisins dispersed amidst the plum pudding are analogous to negatively charged electrons immersed in a sea of positive charge.

Nearly a decade after Thomson, Ernest Rutherford's famous gold foil experiments led to the nuclear model of atomic structure. Rutherford's model suggested that the atom consisted of a densely packed core of positive charge known as the nucleus surrounded by negatively charged electrons. While the nucleus was unique to the Rutherford atom, even more surprising was the proposal that an atom consisted mostly of empty space. Most the mass was packed into the nucleus that was abnormally small compared to the actual size of the atom.

Neils Bohr improved upon Rutherford's nuclear model (1913) by explaining that the electrons were present in orbits outside the nucleus. The electrons were confined to specific orbits of fixed radius, each characterized by their own discrete levels of energy. While electrons could be forced from one orbit to another orbit, it could never occupy the space between orbits.

Bohr's view of quantized energy levels was the precursor to modern quantum mechanical views of the atoms. The mathematical nature of quantum mechanics prohibits a discussion of its details and restricts us to a brief conceptual description of its features. Quantum mechanics suggests that an atom is composed of a variety of subatomic particles. The three main subatomic particles are the proton, electron and neutron. The proton and neutron are the most massive of the three subatomic particles; they are located in the nucleus of the atom, forming the dense core of the atom. The proton is charged positively. The neutron does not possess a charge and is said to be neutral. The protons and neutrons are bound tightly together within the nucleus of the atom. Outside the nucleus are concentric spherical regions of space known as electron shells . The shells are the home of the negatively charged electrons. Each shell is characterized by a distinct energy level. Outer shells have higher energy levels and are characterized as being lower in stability. Electrons in higher energy shells can move down to lower energy shells; this movement is accompanied by the release of energy. Similarly, electrons in lower energy shells can be induced to move to the higher energy outer shells by the addition of energy to the atom. If provided sufficient energy, an electron can be removed from an atom and be freed from its attraction to the nucleus.

Application of Atomic Structure to Static Electricity

This brief excursion into the history of atomic theory leads to some important conclusions about the structure of matter that will be of utmost importance to our study of static electricity. Those conclusions are summarized here:

• All material objects are composed of atoms. There are different kinds of atoms known as elements; these elements can combine to form compounds. Different compounds have distinctly different properties. Material objects are composed of atoms and molecules of these elements and compounds, thus providing different materials with different electrical properties.
• An atom consists of a nucleus and a vast region of space outside the nucleus. Electrons are present in the region of space outside the nucleus. They are negatively charged and weakly bound to the atom. Electrons are often removed from and added to an atom by normal everyday occurrences. These occurrences are the focus of this Static Electricity unit of The Physics Classroom.
• The nucleus of the atom contains positively charged protons and neutral neutrons. These protons and neutrons are not removable or perturbable by usual everyday methods. It would require some form of high-energy nuclear occurrence to disturb the nucleus and subsequently dislodge its positively charged protons. These high-energy occurrences are fortunately not an everyday event and they are certainly not the subject of this unit of The Physics Classroom. One sure truth of this unit is that the protons and neutrons will remain within the nucleus of the atom. Electrostatic phenomenon can never be explained by the movement of protons.

A variety of phenomena will be pondered, investigated and explained through the course of this Static Electricity unit. Each phenomenon will be explained using a model of matter described by the above three statements. The phenomena will range from a rubber balloon sticking to a wooden door to the clinging together of clothes that have tumbled in the dryer to the bolt of lightning seen in the evening sky. Each of these phenomena will be explained in terms of electron movement - both within the atoms and molecules of a material and from the atoms and molecules of one material to those of another. In the next section of Lesson 1 we will explore how electron movement can be used to explain how and why objects acquire an electrostatic charge.

Check Your Understanding

Use your understanding of charge to answer the following questions. When finished, click the button to view the answers.

1. ____ are the charged parts of an atom.

a. Only electrons b. Only protons c. Neutrons only d. Electrons and neutrons e. Electrons and protons f. Protons and neutrons

Electrons are negatively charged and protons are positively charged. The neutrons do not have a charge.

• Triboelectric Charging