TUKURAN TECHNICAL-VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

San Carlos, Tukuran, Zamboanga del Sur 7019

General Chemistry I Handout 1

MATTER

Matter – is anything that occupies space, has volume and has mass.
Composition – refers to types and amounts of simpler substances it contains in a matter
Phases/States of Matter:
Solid
 High density
 Can be compressed or expand to a certain limit
 Has a fixed shape
 Does not conform to the shape of the container
 Is not defined by its hardness or rigidity
Liquid
 High density
 Hard to expand/compress
 Conforms to the shape of the container, but to the extent of its volume.
 Has an upper surface
Gas
 Low density
 Easy to expand/compress
 Has a varying shape that conforms to the shape of the container
 Fills the whole container
 Does not have a surface

Other States of Matter

Plasma
 Fourth state of matter
 Made up of highly charged particles or ionized gases
 Exists only at high temperatures, such as the sun’s surface and the flame
Bose-Einstein Condensate
 Fifth state of matter
 Made by chilling the atoms to millionth of a degree above absolute zero
 One unusual characteristic is that it is composed of atoms that have lost their individual
identities.

 A phase is a region with homogeneous (uniform) properties.

 A state is a physical form of a substance and can be determined by the way it fills a
container.
 Conversions between states are called “phase transitions” or “changes of state”.

Two Forms of Change in Matter

a. Physical Change – is the change in the physical appearance of the substance but its
structure and composition remain the same.
- Those are changes that do not alter the identity of the matter itself.
Examples: melting of ice, slicing a bread, freezing water in ice cube rack
b. Chemical Change – involves change in the structure and chemical composition of the
substances.
- Also called as chemical reaction, occurs when a substance (or substances) is
converted into a different substance (or substances).
Examples: rusting of iron, burning of wood, bleaching a stain

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TUKURAN TECHNICAL-VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
San Carlos, Tukuran, Zamboanga del Sur 7019

Phase Change (Phase Transition)

– a type of physical change that happens when a substance changes from one state to
another.
- this change happens when there is a heat transfer.
 The more energy is added, the more particles will be energized, the further the particles
are from each other.
When heat is added to a matter…
a. Melting – this phase change occurs when a solid material turns into liquid.
Example: ice melts to liquid water.
b. Evaporation – happens when a liquid turn into gas in a form of vapor.
Example: water vapor forms when water is heated.
c. Sublimation – is a process by which a solid material turns into gaseous state.
Example: naphthalene balls reduced to vapor when exposed to air at room temperature
When heat is removed or underwent cooling…
a. Freezing (Solidification) – liquid substances turned into solid
Example: water solidified into ice below the freezing point
b. Condensation – happens when gas turned into liquid
Example: water droplets formed at the surface of a cold glass
c. Deposition – occurs when gas turns into solid
Example: black soot from the smoke accumulated underneath the roof

Some Chemical and Physical Changes

Chemical Change Physical Change
Rusting of iron Melting of butter
Tarnishing of silver spoon Boiling water
Dissolving antacid in water Breaking a glass
Bleaching a stain Chopping of wood
Developing a Polaroid picture Inflating a balloon
Burning of leaves Cutting paper in half

o Endothermic Reaction – heat is absorbed from the surroundings during the

reaction
o Exothermic Reaction – heat is released into the surroundings during the reaction

Properties of Matter:
(Properties are the characteristics that give each substance its unique identity.)
I. Physical Properties – these are the properties that do not change the nature of the
substances and the chemical compositions they contain.
- These are characteristics a substance shows by itself, without changing into or interacting
with another substance.
- Examples are melting point, electrical conductivity and density.
II. Chemical Properties – are those that change the chemical nature of matter as well as the
chemical composition of them
- These are characteristics a substance shows as it changes into or interacts with another
substance (or substances).
- Examples are flammability, corrosiveness and reactivity with acids.

Classification of Physical Properties of Matter:

A. Intrinsic Physical Properties - These are inherent characteristics of the substance and

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TUKURAN TECHNICAL-VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
San Carlos, Tukuran, Zamboanga del Sur 7019

depend on the kind of material

- Sometimes called intensive properties because these properties do not depend on the
amount of the substance
- These properties are permanent
• Color
• Odor
• Taste
• Luster – how shiny the material is
• Ductility – the ability of the materials to be drawn into wires
• Malleability – the ability of a substance to be beaten into thin sheets
• Conductivity - the ability of a substance to allow the flow of electricity or energy
• Hardness – how easily a substance can be scratched
• Melting/Freezing Point – the temperature at which the solid and liquid phases of a
substance are in equilibrium at atmospheric pressure
• Boiling Point – the temperature at which the heated liquid turns to gas
• Density – the mass of the substance divided by its volume
B. Extrinsic Physical Properties – are those properties that depend on the amount of
the matter present
- Sometimes called extensive properties because it focuses on the amount of substance
• Mass
• Weight
• Volume
• Length

Two General Classes of Matter

 Pure Substance – object consists of one type of matter
- A form of matter whose composition is fixed
- Melt/boil at a characteristic temperature
Types:
o Elements
o Compounds
 Mixture – is a type of matter that does not possess definite properties and fixed proportion.
- It can be a homogeneous or heterogeneous in form, which cannot be represented by a
chemical formula
- Consists of two or more substances (elements or compounds) that are physically
intermingled
- Its components retain their characteristics, so they are not chemically combined
- Percentage and mass composition vary from sample to sample, that means the amount of
composition may differ
- Melt/boil at indefinite temperature
- It can be separated into their components by physical means (physical change) (see Some
Forms of Separating Mixtures)

Types of Pure Substances:

Element – It is the simplest type of matter with unique physical and chemical properties
- Properties do not vary and are fixed are fundamental substances from which all other things
are made.
- The smallest particle of an element that retains the chemical nature the element is called an
atom.

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TUKURAN TECHNICAL-VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
San Carlos, Tukuran, Zamboanga del Sur 7019

- Each element consists of one kind of atom and therefore cannot be decomposed chemically
and physically into other simpler substances
- There are 88 naturally existing elements.
- They are named after planets (uranium after planet Uranus), famous people (curium after
Marie Curie), and Greek words (iodine from ioeides).
- Element symbols (sometimes called chemical symbols) are represented by first 1-2
distinguished letters in element names, where the first letters only are uppercased. (U for
uranium, Ca for calcium, Cs for cesium)
- 3-lettered chemical symbols are assigned only to the tentative names of the elements (Unq
for unnilquadium, now renamed as rutherfordium, Rf)
- Symbols for some elements are derived from their ancient names; therefore, memorization
of these symbols is a must (Na of sodium is derived from its old name natrium).

English Name Symbol Ancient Name

antimony Sb stibium
copper Cu cuprum
gold Au aurum
iron Fe ferrum
lead Pb plumbum
mercury Hg hydrargyrum
potassium K kalium
silver Ag argentum
sodium Na natrium
tin Sn stannum
tungsten W wolfram

Three Groups of Elements:

1. Metals
2. Nonmetals
3. Semimetals/Metalloids –have both properties of metals and nonmetals

Properties of Metals and Nonmetals

Metals Nonmetals
Hard, dense, solid (except Hg) Some are gases, solid or liquid, less denser
Strong and tenacious (holds heavy loads and softer (except diamond)
without breaking) Dull, cannot be polished (except diamond)
Luster or shiny and can be polished Brittle
Malleable and ductile Not sonorous
Sonorous (ringing sound when struck) Insulator (except graphite)
Conductors of heat and electricity Low densities, low tensile strengths
High melting points Low melting points
High densities

Compound – consists of two or more elements that are bonded chemically

- Elements are combined chemically and proportionally
- Properties do not vary and are fixed
- Elements are present in fixed parts by mass (fixed mass ratio) for the reason that each
unit of the compound consists of a fixed number of atoms of each element. For example,
water (H2O) contains 16 parts O by mass and 2 parts H by mass because 1 oxygen atom
has 16 times the mass of hydrogen, and each water molecule consists of 2 hydrogen
atoms and 1 oxygen atom.

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TUKURAN TECHNICAL-VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
San Carlos, Tukuran, Zamboanga del Sur 7019

- Examples of compounds are water, ammonia, carbon dioxide and sodium chloride (table
salt)
- Rules are set in naming and writing the chemical formula the compounds (which is usually
from their ionic names), such as magnesium chloride or MgCl2.
- Some compounds have their own common names, so the use of such names is enough to
identify those compounds (instead of using their chemical names), such as water or H 2O
(supposed chemical name is dihydrogen monoxide)
- Properties of a compound are different from the properties of its component elements.
(Example: a soft, silvery sodium metal and a poisonous chlorine gas is different from table
salt – sodium chloride, which is used in food seasoning.)
- A compound, by the virtue of its composition, can be broken down into its component
elements. (Example: an electric current breaks down water into hydrogen and oxygen
gases)
- It involves the law of definite proportions or constant proportion (any pure compound
contains the same elements exactly in the same proportion) and law of conservation of
mass (mass or matter is neither created nor destroyed before and after reaction). (These
laws will be discussed in Stoichiometry.)

A molecule is an independent structure of two or more atoms bound together (either of the
same element such as O2 or of two or more different elements such as CO 2 and H2O). A
molecule may be an element or a compound, depending on the elements present in it. A
molecule usually exists in a free state without being attached with another molecule.

Groups of Mixture:
a. Homogeneous Mixture – contains only one single phase or appearance
- Also called as Solutions.
b. Heterogeneous Mixture – contains two or more phases or appearance
- Colloids and suspensions (coarse mixtures) are under this group

Some Forms of Separating Mixtures

 Filtration (select components by particle size)
 Mechanical separation (by forceps)
 Flotation (select components by density)
 Centrifugation (uses centrifugal force to separate substances of different densities)
 Distillation (select components by boiling point)
 Crystallization (select solid components by solubility)
 Extraction (select liquid components by solubility)
 Chromatography (select components by affinity for a “stationary phase”)

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TUKURAN TECHNICAL-VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
San Carlos, Tukuran, Zamboanga del Sur 7019

Matter

Pure Substances Physical Processes Mixtures

Homogeneous Mixtures
Elements Compounds Heterogeneous Mixtures
(Solutions)

Chemical Processes

Colloids

Coarse Mixtures

Chemistry in Household Items

 Many products we used daily in our homes are made up of different types of matter.
 Usually, it is made up of mixtures between two or more pure substances
 The ingredients of such product are mixed together in different proportions.
 One component that has the largest role in a product (or the key component) is called
active ingredient.
 Precaution should be observed when using products whose active ingredients can be
detrimental to human health and environment.

Examples: Shampoo
Active ingredients: sodium lauryl sulfate, Sodium laureth sulfate

Rubbing alcohol
Active ingredient: ethanol (ethyl alcohol) or isopropanol (isopropyl alcohol)