Chemistry:

Introduction to
Matter
 Chemistry is the study of
matter
Matter is anything that has mass and occupies space
A substance is a form of matter that has a definite
chemical composition and distinct properties

Water
Sugar
Gold
 Matter is made of tiny
particles
Matter is made up of tiny particles called
atoms and molecules
• Atom: the basic building block • Molecule: two or more atoms
of matter chemically bonded together
Hydrogen atoms

Water
Molecule
H2O

oxygen atom
 Classifications of Matter
The Matter Tree

variable definite
composition composition
 Pure Substances
An element is the simplest form of matter that has its own unique
set of properties
• All the atoms of an element are the same
A compound is a substance containing of atoms of two or more
elements chemically bonded in fixed proportions
• ratio of elements indicated by chemical formula, H2O or C6H12O6

Water (H2O) Glucose (C6H12O6)

 Mixtures
A mixture is a combination of two or more substances in
which the substances retain their distinct identities.

Homogeneous mixture (solution) – The composition

of the mixture is the same throughout (at the
atomic/molecular level)
• Examples: sugar water and milk
Heterogeneous mixture – The composition is not
uniform throughout.
• Example: chocolate chip cookies
 Mixtures

Physical means can be used to separate

a mixture into its pure components

Compounds can only be separated into their components

(elements) by chemical means (process that breaks
chemical bonds)
 Summary: Introduction to Matter
Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space
• atoms are the basic building blocks of matter
• pure substances (elements and compounds)
• mixtures (homogeneous and heterogeneous)

Atoms Element Compound Mixture

 Matter on Earth is in the form
of
solid, liquid, or gas

Solid

Solid: particles are very attracted to each other

• Particles are close together and vibrate in position
but don’t move past one another
 Matter on Earth is in the form
of
solid, liquid, or gas

Solid

Liquid: Particles are attracted to each other but not as much as

they are in a solid
• Particles of a liquid are close together, always
moving, and can slide past one another
 Matter on Earth is in the form
of
solid, liquid, or gas

Solid

Gas: Particles are very far apart compared to the particles in a

solid or liquid, and are constantly moving
• Particles have very little attraction to each other but just
hit and bounce off of each other when they collide
Temperature at which Phase Change
Occurs
• Melting/freezing point
• Temperature of matter where:
• a solid → liquid is the melting point
• a liquid → solid is the freezing point
• Boiling/condensation point
• Temperature of matter where:
• a liquid → gas is the boiling point
• a gas → liquid is the condensation point
All matter is in three forms
• The fundamental
difference between
phases is the distance
between particles

• This distance is related

to the strength of
attraction between the
particles Gas Liquid Solid