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Properties of Elements
1. What is matter? a. Matter is anything made of atoms and molecules; it has mass and takes up space. It is the amount of stuff in an object. Even though matter can be found all over the Universe, you only find it in a few forms. As of 1995, scientists have identified five physical states of matter: solids, liquids, gases, plasmas, and one state called the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). 2. What are the differences between chemical and physical properties (Properties and State are the same)? Give examples of each type. a. A chemical property change happens when the atoms in a molecule are moved around or when atoms are added or taken away. Chemical changes happen when bonds between atoms are created or destroyed. Changing physical states of matter is about changing densities, pressures, temperatures, and other physical properties. The basic chemical structure does not change when there is a physical change. You can cause physical changes with forces like motion, temperature, and pressure. i. A water molecule is made up of two hydrogen (H) atoms and one oxygen (O) atom. It has the same molecular structure whether it is a gas, liquid, or solid. Although its physical state may change, its chemical state remains the same. ii. If the formula of water were to change, that would be a chemical change. If you could just add a second oxygen atom, you would have hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). iii. When you step on a can and crush it, you have forced a physical change. iv. When you melt an ice cube (H2O), you have also forced a physical phase change by adding energy. v. When iron (Fe) rusts, the actual molecules change their structure (the iron oxidized) this is a chemical change. vi. Melting a sugar cube is a physical change, because the substance is still sugar. vii. Burning a sugar cube is a chemical change. Fire activates a chemical reaction between sugar and reactions (O2). The oxygen in the air reacts with the sugar, and the chemical bonds are broken. 3. Describe the movement of atoms within a solid, a liquid, and a gas. a. Solids are usually hard, because their molecules have been packed together. In the same way that a solid holds its shape, the atoms inside of a solid are not allowed to move around too much. This is one of the physical characteristics of solids. The molecules in a solid are stuck in a specific structure or arrangement of atoms. The atoms still spin and the electrons fly around, but the entire atom will not change position.
b. Liquids are an in-between state of matter. They can be found between the solid and gas states. One characteristic of a liquid is that it will fill up the shape of a container. Another trait of a liquid is that it is difficult to compress. Liquids have their atoms close together making them hard to compress. Due to Intermolecular, forces the molecules of liquids stick to each other creating a cohesive (sticky) force to hold liquids molecules together.
a. At a substances freezing point, the substance changes state from a liquid to a solid. b. At a substances melting point, the substance changes state from a solid to a liquid. 7. How does the temperature at which a substance melts compare to the temperature at which it freezes? a. Phase changes happen when certain points are reached. Sometimes a liquid wants to become a solid. Scientists use something called a freezing point to measure the temperature at which a liquid turns into a solid. There is a special temperature for every substance called the melting point. When a solid reaches the temperature of its melting point, it can become a liquid. The reverse of the melting process is called freezing. 8. Compare and contrast the effects of pressure on solids, liquids, and gases. i. When the pressure surrounding a substance goes up, the freezing point and other special points also go up. That means it is easier to keep things solid at higher pressures. Just remember that there are some exceptions. b. All matter can move from one state to another. It may require extreme temperatures or extreme pressures, but it can be done. Sometimes a substance does not want to change states. You have to use all of your tricks when that happens. To create a solid, you might have to decrease the temperature by a huge amount and then add pressure. c. What if you wanted to turn it into a solid but could not make it cold enough? You could increase the pressure to push those molecules together. The opposite works too. If you have a liquid at room temperature and you wanted a gas you could use a combination of high temperatures and low pressures to solve your problem. 9. If an unknown substance is made up of atoms in constant motion, has no definite shape or volume, and can spread out to fill a container, what is its state? How do you know? a. Its physical state is water. Water is the only state with the characteristic of being able to fill up the shape of a container that it is in due to having no definite shape of their own like a solid, also the atoms in a liquid have more energy than the atoms in a solid meaning that they are in constant motion.