Module 1 - Nature of Matter

Week 1
by:
RUEL VALENTIN C. ESTACION
LPT, ECE, MAT
Assistant Professor I – Biliran Province State University
Naval, Biliran, Biliran, Philippines

What I Need to Know

This Module was designed and written for you. It will help you master the topics on
nature of matter. The scope of the module allows it to be used in many different
learning situations and applications in real life. The language used recognizes the
diverse vocabulary level of students. The lessons were arranged to follow the standard
sequence of the course. However, the order in which you read each lesson can be
changed to correspond with the textbooks you are already using.

The Module is divided into four lessons, namely:

Lesson 1 – Nature and States of Matter
Lesson 2 – Properties of Matter
Lesson 3 – Classifications of Matter
Lesson 4 – Pure Substances and Mixtures in Consumer Products

Learning outcomes:
1. Recognize that substances are made up of smaller particles.
2. Describe the arrangement, relative spacing, and relative spacing, and relative
motion of the particles in each of the three phases of matter.
3. Distinguish between physical and chemical properties of matter and give
examples.
4. Distinguish between extensive and intensive properties of matter and give
examples.
5. Identify and separate substances based on their properties.
6. Differentiate between pure substances and mixtures, elements and
compounds, and homogenous and heterogenous mixtures.
7. Recognize the formulas of common chemical substances.
8. Describe separation techniques for mixtures and compounds.
9. Compare consumer products on the basis of their components for use, safety,
quality, and cost.
Lesson 1
NATURE AND STATES OF MATTER
Matter is the "stuff" that makes up the universe — everything that takes up
space and has mass is matter.
All matter is made up of atoms, which are in turn made up of protons, neutrons and
electrons.
Atoms come together to form molecules, which are the building blocks for all types of
matter, according to Washington State University. Both atoms and molecules are held
together by a form of potential energy called chemical energy. Unlike kinetic energy,
which is the energy of an object in motion, potential energy is the energy stored in an
object.
The five phases of matter
There are four natural states of matter: Solids, liquids, gases and plasma. The fifth
state is the man-made Bose-Einstein condensates.
Solids
In a solid, particles are packed tightly together so they don't move much. The electrons
of each atom are constantly in motion, so the atoms have a small vibration, but they
are fixed in their position. Because of this, particles in a solid have very low kinetic
energy.
Solids have a definite shape, as well as mass and volume, and do not conform to the
shape of the container in which they are placed. Solids also have a high density,
meaning that the particles are tightly packed together.
Liquids
In a liquid, the particles are more loosely packed than in a solid and are able to flow
around each other, giving the liquid an indefinite shape. Therefore, the liquid will
conform to the shape of its container.
Much like solids, liquids (most of which have a lower density than solids) are incredibly
difficult to compress.
Gases
In a gas, the particles have a great deal of space between them and have high kinetic
energy. A gas has no definite shape or volume. If unconfined, the particles of a gas
will spread out indefinitely; if confined, the gas will expand to fill its container. When a
gas is put under pressure by reducing the volume of the container, the space between
particles is reduced and the gas is compressed.
Plasma
Plasma is not a common state of matter here on Earth, but it may be the most common
state of matter in the universe, according to the Jefferson Laboratory. Stars are
essentially superheated balls of plasma.
Plasma consists of highly charged particles with extremely high kinetic energy.
The noble gases (helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon and radon) are often used to
make glowing signs by using electricity to ionize them to the plasma state.

Bose-Einstein condensate
The Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) was created by scientists in 1995. Using a
combination of lasers and magnets, Eric Cornell and Carl Weiman, scientists at the
Joint Institute for Lab Astrophysics (JILA) in Boulder, Colorado, cooled a sample
of rubidium to within a few degrees of absolute zero. At this extremely low
temperature, molecular motion comes very close to stopping. Since there is almost no
kinetic energy being transferred from one atom to another, the atoms begin to clump
together. There are no longer thousands of separate atoms, just one "super atom."
A BEC is used to study quantum mechanics on a macroscopic level. Light appears to
slow down as it passes through a BEC, allowing scientists to study the particle/wave
paradox. A BEC also has many of the properties of a superfluid, or a fluid that flows
without friction. BECs are also used to simulate conditions that might exist in black
holes.
Going through a phase
Adding or removing energy from matter causes a physical change as matter moves
from one state to another. For example, adding thermal energy (heat) to liquid water
causes it to become steam or vapor (a gas). And removing energy from liquid water
causes it to become ice (a solid). Physical changes can also be caused by motion and
pressure.
Melting and freezing
When heat is applied to a solid, its particles begin to vibrate faster and move farther
apart. When the substance reaches a certain combination of temperature and
pressure, its melting point, the solid will begin to melt and turn into a liquid.
When two states of matter, such as solid and liquid, are at the equilibrium temperature
and pressure, additional heat added into the system will not cause the overall
temperature of the substance to increase until the entire sample reaches the same
physical state. For example, when you put ice into a glass of water and leave it out at
room temperature, the ice and water will eventually come to the same temperature.
As the ice melts from heat coming from the water, it will remain at zero degrees Celsius
until the entire ice cube melts before continuing to warm.
When heat is removed from a liquid, its particles slow down and begin to settle in one
location within the substance. When the substance reaches a cool enough
temperature at a certain pressure, the freezing point, the liquid becomes a solid.
Most liquids contract as they freeze. Water, however, expands when it freezes into
ice, causing the molecules to push farther apart and decrease the density, which is
why ice floats on top of water.
Adding additional substances, such as salt in water, can alter both the melting and
freezing points. For example, adding salt to snow will decrease the temperature that
water freezes on roads, making it safer for drivers.
There is also a point, known as the triple point, where solids, liquids and gases all exist
simultaneously. Water, for example, exists in all three states at a temperature of
273.16 Kelvin and a pressure of 611.2 pascals.
Sublimation
When a solid is converted directly into a gas without going through a liquid phase, the
process is known as sublimation. This may occur either when the temperature of the
sample is rapidly increased beyond the boiling point (flash vaporization) or when a
substance is "freeze-dried" by cooling it under vacuum conditions so that the water in
the substance undergoes sublimation and is removed from the sample. A few volatile
substances will undergo sublimation at room temperature and pressure, such as
frozen carbon dioxide, or dry ice.
Vaporization
Vaporization is the conversion of a liquid to a gas and can occur through either
evaporation or boiling.
Because the particles of a liquid are in constant motion, they frequently collide with
each other. Each collision also causes energy to be transferred, and when enough
energy is transferred to particles near the surface they may be knocked completely
away from the sample as free gas particles. Liquids cool as they evaporate because
the energy transferred to surface molecules, which causes their escape, gets carried
away with them.
Liquid boils when enough heat is added to a liquid to cause vapor bubbles to form
below the surface. This boiling point is the temperature and pressure at which a liquid
becomes a gas.
Condensation and deposition
Condensation occurs when a gas loses energy and comes together to form a liquid.
For example, water vapor condenses into liquid water.
Deposition occurs when a gas transforms directly into a solid, without going through
the liquid phase. Water vapor becomes ice or frost when the air touching a solid, such
as a blade of grass, is cooler than the rest of the air.
Lesson 2
PROPERTIES OF MATTER
Physical and Chemical Properties of Matter
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 (H2O)—it’s just in a different physical state.

Solid, liquids, and gases

Water can exist in several
states, including ice
(solid), water (liquid), and
water vapor (gas).

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
• melting point (intensive): the temperature at which a substance melts
 Physical properties
Matter has mass and
volume, as demonstrated
by this concrete block.
You can observe its mass
by feeling how heavy it is
when you try to pick it up;
you can observe its
volume by looking at it and
noticing its size. Mass and
volume are both examples
of extensive physical
properties.

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 ΔHc.
• 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).
Lesson 3
CLASSIFICATION OF MATTER
Matter can be classified either as pure substance or mixture. A pure substance
is characterized by unchanging or specific compositions. A mixture is composed of
different pure substances that are physically combined in variable proportion.

Classification and Subclassification of Matter

Pure Substances
• A pure substance is something that is made up of only one type of particle.
• A pure substance cannot be physically separated into other substances,
because all of the particles are the same.
• Pure substances have fixed physical properties, such as melting and boiling
point.
• Examples of pure substances include oxygen, water and iron.
• Pure substances are classified into two, element and compound.
Elements
A chemical element is a pure substance that consists of one type of atom.
Each atom has an atomic number, which represents the number of protons
that are in the nucleus of a single atom of that element. The periodic table of
elements is ordered by ascending atomic number.
Compounds
Pure samples of isolated elements are uncommon in nature. While the 98
naturally occurring, elements have all been identified in mineral samples from
the Earth’s crust, only a small minority of them can be found as recognizable,
relatively pure minerals. Among the more common of such “native elements”
 are copper, silver, gold, and sulfur. Carbon is also commonly found in the
form of coal, graphite, and diamonds. The noble gases (e.g., neon) and noble
metals (e.g., mercury) can also be found in their pure, non-bonded forms in
nature. Still, most of these elements are found in mixtures.
When two distinct elements are chemically combined—i.e., chemical bonds
form between their atoms—the result is called a chemical compound. Most
elements on Earth bond with other elements to form chemical compounds,
such as sodium (Na) and Chloride (Cl), which combine to form table salt
(NaCl). Water is another example of a chemical compound. The two or more
component elements of a compound can be separated through chemical
reactions.
Chemical compounds have a unique and defined structure, which consists of
a fixed ratio of atoms held together in a defined spatial arrangement by
chemical bonds. Chemical compounds can be:
• molecular compounds held together by covalent bonds
• salts held together by ionic bonds
• intermetallic compounds held together by metallic bonds
• complexes held together by coordinate covalent bonds.
Pure chemical elements are not considered chemical compounds, even if they
consist of diatomic or polyatomic molecules (molecules that contain only
multiple atoms of a single element, such as H2 or S8).

Mixtures
• Two or more pure substances can combine to form a mixture.
Therefore, mixtures are made up of more than one type of particle.
• The formation of a mixture does not result in a new substance.
A mixture is just a physical combination of pure substances.
• Mixtures can be physically separated into their components.
• Mixtures have variable physical properties, depending on their components.
• Examples of mixtures include air, sea water and soil.
• Most substances around us are mixtures.
• Mixtures can be divided into two types based on their composition. These are
homogeneous mixtures and heterogeneous mixtures.
Homogeneous Mixtures
• Homogeneous mixtures have a uniform composition.
• This means that regardless of where a sample is taken from, the sample
would contain the same blend of components.
• Examples of homogeneous mixtures include mouthwash, paint and stainless
steel.
Heterogeneous Mixtures
• Heterogeneous mixtures have a non-uniform composition.
• This means that if samples were taken from different places within the
mixture, the blend of components would not be the same.
• Examples of heterogeneous mixtures include mud and a bowl of cereal

Lesson 4
PURE SUBSTANCES AND MIXTURES IN CONSUMER PRODUCTS