STATES OF MATTER
AN E-LEARNING COURSE BY HARMEEN UMAIR
TYPES OF MATTER
• Solid:
Solid is one of the four fundamental states of matter along with
liquid, gas, and plasma. The molecules in a solid are closely packed together
and contain the least amount of kinetic energy. A solid is characterized by
structural rigidity (as in rigid bodies) and resistance to a force applied to the
surface. Unlike a liquid, a solid object does not flow to take on the shape of
its container, nor does it expand to fill the entire available volume like a gas.
The atoms in a solid are bound to each other, either in a regular
geometric lattice (crystalline solids, which include metals and ordinary ice),
or irregularly (an amorphous solid such as common window glass). Solids
cannot be compressed with little pressure whereas gases can be compressed
with little pressure because the molecules in a gas are loosely pac ked.
SOLID ELEMENTS,
COMOUNDS AND
MIXTURES
• Liquid:
A liquid is a nearly incompressible fluid that conforms to the shape
of its container but retains a nearly constant volume independent of
pressure. It is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others
being solid, gas, and plasma), and is the only state with a definite volume
but no fixed shape. A liquid is made up of tiny vibrating particles of matter,
such as atoms, held together by intermolecular bonds. Like a gas, a liquid is
able to flow and take the shape of a container. Unlike a gas, a liquid
maintains a fairly constant density and does not disperse to fill every space
of a container. Therefore, liquid and solid are both termed condensed matter
. On the other hand, as liquids and gases share the ability to flow, they are
both called fluids.
LIQUID COMPOUNDS, ELEMENTS
AND MIXURES
• Gas:
A pure gas may be made up of individual atoms (e.g. a
noble gas like neon), elemental molecules made from one type of
atom (e.g. oxygen), or compound molecules made from a variety
of atoms (e.g. carbon dioxide). A gas mixture, such as air, contains
a variety of pure gases. What distinguishes a gas from liquids and
solids is the vast separation of the individual gas particles. This
separation usually makes a colorless gas invisible to the human
observer. The gaseous state of matter occurs between the liquid
and plasma states,[2] the latter of which provides the upper-
temperature boundary for gases.
