Properties | Solids | Liquids; | Gases |
Particle Movement | Can only vibrate in place, cannot freely move | Vibrate, rotate, and translate past each other | Vibrate, rotate, and translate freely, colliding with each other |
Forces in between particles | Strong, particles are closely packed | Less than a solid | There is no force between particles |
Shape and Volume | Fixed shape, fixed volume | Changing shape, fixed volume | Changing shape, changing volume |
Arrangement | Particles closely packed in a regular pattern | Irregular arrangement, particles close | Irregular arrangement, particles far apart |
Changes in State
- Melting: The transition of a solid turning into a liquid (by heat energy). Every solid has a melting point at certain temperatures. Melting happens when particles gain energy, causing particle bonds to loosen
- Boiling: The rapid vaporisation of a liquid into a gas. This happens when the boiling point of a liquid (a certain temperature that is able to break intermolecular bonds) is reached and enough energy breaks up intermolecular bonds
- Evaporation: The process of a liquid turning into gas/vapour. This happens when particles gain energy and move around more, causing particle bonds to loosen, thus turning a liquid into a gas
- Freezing: The process of a liquid turning into a solid. This happens when particles lose energy and move around less, causing them to arrange themselves into closely packed fixed positions, thus changing the liquid into a solid
- Sublimation: The change of a solid turning into a gas without passing through liquid form. This happens when particles gain enough energy to completely destroy the forces between the particles
Some more definitions
- Atoms: Tiny neutral particles that build up matter
- Molecules: Two or more bonded atoms
- Ion: An atom with a charge (negative or positive)
Diffusion
- Diffusion is defined as the random movement of particles (eg. atoms, ions, molecules) from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration
- No deliberate action or energy is required for this process to happen
- Particles with greater molecular mass diffuse slower
- This is because heavier particles move slower, and will therefore slow the rate of diffusion
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