SCIE 4001:

1|1
Science III - Earth & Life Science 2
Lecture 01 Week 1

Properties of Materials
&
Types of Mixtures

Imran Khan – Lecturer– The University of Trinidad and Tobago

2|1
Objectives
Lecture 01 Week 1

 Identify types of materials

 Give examples of some the properties of materials

 Mass, Volume and Density

 Definition of a mixture

 Types of mixtures – solutions, suspensions, colloids

 Properties of solutions – solute, solvent, pH

 Separation of mixtures
Imran Khan – Lecturer – The University of Trinidad and Tobago
 3|1
Materials and Their Properties
Lecture 01 Week 1

Materials are also known as substances and ALL substances are made of matter.

The most basic or simplest type of materials are called elements.

Element: a substance which cannot be separated into anything simpler by

chemical means.

From the most basic to the very complex materials, all matter is made of atoms.

Atom: the smallest part of an element which can take part in a chemical
change and which retains the properties of the element.
Imran Khan – Lecturer – The University of Trinidad and Tobago

4|1
Materials and Their Properties
Lecture 01 Week 1

Some examples of materials are:

• Metals, e.g.’s iron, aluminum, copper • Bone
• Ceramics, e.g. porcelain • Textiles
• Rubber • Glues
• Plastics • Paints
• Wood • Dyes
• Glass • Solvents
• Cement • Foodstuffs
• Leather • Medicine, etc.

Imran Khan – Lecturer – The University of Trinidad and Tobago

 5|1
Materials and Their Properties
Lecture 01 Week 1

Atom: the smallest part of an element which can take part in a chemical
change and which retains the properties of the element.

We should realize then, all materials will possess or exhibit certain characteristics or
properties. Some of these properties are:

• Colour • Strength • Melting pt. • Mass

• Texture • Specific Heat Capacity • Boiling pt. • Volume

• Hardness • Electrical Resistance • Shape • Density

• Flexibility • Thermal Conductivity • Weight

Imran Khan – Lecturer – The University of Trinidad and Tobago

6|1
Materials and Their Properties
Lecture 01 Week 1

Every substance / material will possess its own set of characteristics which we can
use to identify that substance.

Material Gold Diamond Glass

opacity opaque transparent transparent
Property

state @ 25 °C solid solid solid

colour yellowish colourless colourless
density 19.3 gcm-3 3.5 gcm-3 1.0 gcm-3
Imran Khan – Lecturer – The University of Trinidad and Tobago
 7|1
pH – Acids & Bases (Alkali)
Lecture 01 Week 1

Another characteristic of some substances is their pH.

pH is not a physical characteristic but a chemical characteristic of a substance.

pH means ‘potential of Hydrogen’. The pH of a substance is a measure of how acidic

or basic the substance is. The pH scale is a scale used to assign a numerical value
of a substance and which describes how acidic or basic the substance is.

The pH scale typically starts at zero (0) and ends at fourteen (14); however,
substances may have values outside of this range if they are either very strong acids
or bases.

The following video provides an introduction to acids and bases.

Imran Khan – Lecturer – The University of Trinidad and Tobago

8|1
pH – Acids & Bases (Alkali)
Lecture 01 Week 1

[ACIDS & BASES: DEFINITIONS & DIFFERENCES]

Imran Khan – Lecturer – The University of Trinidad and Tobago

 9|1
pH – Acids & Bases (Alkali)
Lecture 01 Week 1

[SIMULATION: ACID BASE SOLUTIONS]

Imran Khan – Lecturer – The University of Trinidad and Tobago

10|1
pH – Acids & Bases (Alkali)
Lecture 01 Week 1

[SIMULATION: PH SCALE BASICS]

Imran Khan – Lecturer – The University of Trinidad and Tobago

 11|1
Mixtures
Lecture 01 Week 1

A mixture is a combination of substances which are not chemically joined

together.

Examples of mixtures are:

• Oil & water
• Sugar & salt
• Air
• Iron fillings & sand
• Sand &water
• Chalk & water

Imran Khan – Lecturer – The University of Trinidad and Tobago

12|1
Mixtures
Lecture 01 Week 1

A mixture is a combination of substances which are not chemically joined

together.

Mixtures may be classed or categorised based on certain properties.

The categories of mixtures are:

• Solutions
• Suspensions
• Colloids
• Emulsions

Imran Khan – Lecturer – The University of Trinidad and Tobago

 13|1
Mixtures - solutions
Lecture 01 Week 1
A solution is a homogenous mixture of two or more substances.

A homogenous mixture is one whose composition is the same throughout the

mixture. This makes the properties of the mixture, the same throughout.

A solution is made up of two main parts:

• Solute and …

• … Solvent

The solute is the substance which is dissolved and usually the smaller amount.
Dissolve:
The solvent is the substance that does the dissolving. breaking down of solute
particles in solvent until no
+ = longer visible to the naked eye.

Imran Khan – Lecturer – The University of Trinidad and Tobago

14|1
Mixtures - solutions
Lecture 01 Week 1
A solution is a homogenous mixture of two or more substances.

The following are examples of the different types of solutions:

• Solid-Solid solution e.g. solid metal alloys such as bronze, brass, steel or solder

• Solid-Liquid solution e.g. salt and water; nail polish pigments in acetone

• Solid-Gas solution e.g. hydrogen gas in solid palladium metal

• Liquid-Gas solution e.g. carbonated beverages; oxygen in water

• Liquid-Liquid solution e.g. alcoholic beverages

• Gas-Gas solution e.g. air; underwater scuba oxygen tanks, it is mixed with nitrogen & helium

Imran Khan – Lecturer – The University of Trinidad and Tobago

 15|1
Mixtures – solutions - properties
Lecture 01 Week 1
A solution is a homogenous mixture of two or more substances.

Solutions have the following properties:

• The solute and solvent are thoroughly mixed to produce the homogenous mixture.

• The solute and solvent do not separate normally.

• The solute particles are not visible individually.

• The solution may be coloured but translucent.

• The solute may be separated from the solvent via physical means such as
evaporation.

Imran Khan – Lecturer – The University of Trinidad and Tobago

16|1
Mixtures – solutions - solubility
Lecture 01 Week 1
Solubility is a measure of the maximum amount of a solute which can
dissolve in 0.1 kg (100 g) of a solvent at a given temperature.

Solubility is affected by the following factors:

• Pressure – especially for gas-liquid solutions, think carbonated beverages.

• Temperature – most solids dissolve faster and are more soluble at higher
temperatures; however, this is the opposite for gases. Think boiling water.

• Nature of solute & solvent – if they are chemically similar, they are more
likely to easily dissolve into each other.

• Particle size – smaller particles dissolve more easily (faster)

• Stirring – when stirred, particles dissolve faster

Imran Khan – Lecturer – The University of Trinidad and Tobago
 17|1
Mixtures – solutions - types
Lecture 01 Week 1
There are two important types of solutions which we need to be aware of:

• Saturated solutions
This is a solution in which there is as much solute as can
possibly be dissolved in the solvent at a given temperature and
pressure.

• Supersaturated solutions
This is a solution which contains more solute than can normally
be dissolved in a given amount of solvent at a given
temperature and pressure.

Imran Khan – Lecturer – The University of Trinidad and Tobago

18|1
Mixtures – Saturated and Supersaturated
Lecture 01 Week 1

[UNDERSTANDING SATURATED & SUPERSATURATED MIXTURES IN THE KITCHEN]

Imran Khan – Lecturer – The University of Trinidad and Tobago

 19|1
Mixtures – suspensions
Lecture 01 Week 1
Suspensions are another type of mixture. This time the mixture is not homogenous.

Suspension: a heterogeneous mixture of solute particles which usually settle

out, sometime after its introduction and left to stand.

Examples of suspensions are: The solute particles are actually non-soluble or partially
• Clay and water soluble.

The particles are relatively large and heavy; hence, gravity

• Sand and water
acts on the particles to cause them to settle out of the
mixture.
• Some germicidal and medicines.
The insoluble component which eventually settles out is
• Dust particles and air called the precipitate.

Imran Khan – Lecturer – The University of Trinidad and Tobago

20|1
Mixtures – suspensions – colloids & emulsions
Lecture 01 Week 1
Suspensions are another type of mixture. This time to mixture is not homogenous.

Suspension a heterogeneous mixture of suspended particles which usually

settle out, sometime after its introduction and left to stand.

Colloid a mixture of suspended particles which do not settle out. This

is typically a solid-liquid mixture.

Emulsion a mixture of suspended particles which do not settle out.

Emulsions refer to a liquid-liquid mixture.

Imran Khan – Lecturer – The University of Trinidad and Tobago

 21|1
Mixtures – suspensions – colloids & emulsions
Lecture 01 Week 1
The particle sizes in colloids and emulsions are generally mid-way between that of a
solution and a suspension in which the particles eventually form a precipitate.

Examples of colloidal suspensions are:

• Smoke

• Aerosols

• Milk

Imran Khan – Lecturer – The University of Trinidad and Tobago

22|1
Mixtures - separation
Lecture 01 Week 1

A mixture is a combination of substances which are not chemically joined

together.

The components of a mixture may be separated from the other components using a
variety of methods.

The choice of method depends on:

• The type of mixture

• The components in the mixture

• The properties of the different components in the mixture

Imran Khan – Lecturer – The University of Trinidad and Tobago

 23|1
Mixtures - separation
Lecture 01 Week 1

Methods of separation:
• Hand-picking
particles must be large enough and have some property that are different allowing them
to be removed by inspection e.g. Picking rice

• Use of a magnet
When one component is magnetic, e.g. sand/sulphur & iron filings

• Flotation
When one component is solid and floats on a liquid, e.g. ping pong balls/golf balls using water

• Decanting
when one liquid floats on another liquid, e.g. oil floating on
water
Imran Khan – Lecturer – The University of Trinidad and Tobago

24|1
Mixtures - separation
Lecture 01 Week 1

Methods of separation:
• Sifting & Filtering
 these can be some kind of mesh which has holes where one component is made up of
smaller particles which can pass through the sieve.
 sieves can be used for separating gravel of different sizes.
 cloth or paper filters can be used for separating coffee grounds from coffee.
 filter paper can be used in the lab to separate undissolved materials from a liquid.

• Evaporation to dryness
a liquid solvent can be removed from a solution by boiling it away leaving the solid
solute behind e.g. sugar is made from cane juice by evaporating the water.

• Dissolving of components
dissolve one of the components of the mixture and evaporate to dryness,
e.g. sand and salt  dissolve salt in water and evaporate to dryness.
Imran Khan – Lecturer – The University of Trinidad and Tobago
 25|1
Mixtures - separation
Lecture 01 Week 1

• Fractional Distillation
used to separate a liquid solvent from a solution by boiling it
away and condensing it, e.g.
 simple distillation for getting water from sea water,
 alcohol is distilled from fermented products,
 separation of crude oil into various oils and fuels. [FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION VIDEO]

Imran Khan – Lecturer – The University of Trinidad and Tobago

26|1
Mixtures - separation
Lecture 01 Week 1

• Chromatography
especially of closely related compounds, by allowing a
solution to seep through an adsorbent (such as clay,
gel, or paper) so component becomes adsorbed into a
separate, often coloured, layer, e.g. separation of
pigments in a dye. [Paper CHROMATOGRAPHY VIDEO]

Imran Khan – Lecturer – The University of Trinidad and Tobago

 27|1
Mixtures - separation
Lecture 01 Week 1

• Centrifugation
Spinning suspensions & colloids at high speed whereby
particles precipitate much faster and in layers according
to their size and weight, e.g. separation of blood
components
[CENTRIFUGATION OF BLOOD VIDEO]

Imran Khan – Lecturer – The University of Trinidad and Tobago

28|1

Lecture 01 Week 1

Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Education Unit and in particular Mr. Kishore Lal, for the sharing of his
notes, etc. without any hesitation.

Imran Khan – Lecturer – The University of Trinidad and Tobago

 29|1

Lecture 02 Week 2

End

Imran Khan – Lecturer – The University of Trinidad and Tobago