The Particulate Nature Of Matter
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Free Exam Academy
September 23, 2018
States of matter
Matter is any substance that occupies physical space.
The kinetic theory of matter states that matter is made of
tiny particles (i.e. atoms and molecules) and that they are
always in constant motion.
There are three states of matter that you need to be aware
of: Solids, liquids, and gases.
Solids have particles that are packed closely together. The
atoms are arranged in a regular pattern due to the strong
attractive forces that exists between the particles. These
particles therefore cannot move. Instead, they vibrate
constantly on the spot.
By giving a solid energy (i.e. heating), the particles will begin
to vibrate more vigorously as they gain more energy.
Eventually, the particles begin to separate as they start to
overcome attractive bonds. Eventually, the particles will
have enough separation to move past one another, but still
kept relatively close (as attractive forces between particles
still exist). The solid has now officially become a liquid.
Liquids therefore have particles that are loosely arranged
(i.e. can move past one another). They therefore take up the
shape of the container in which they’re in. The particles
themselves are constantly moving in constant, random
motion.
By further heating the liquid, the particles gain even more
energy! This will separate the particles even more as they
overcome most of the remaining forces of attraction that
exists.
Gases therefore have particles that are very far apart.
Again, the particles will be moving in constant, random
motion and also take up the shape of its container. Unlike
solids and liquids, gases can be compressed.
Bear in mind that if you start to take energy away from a gas
(i.e. cooling) then individual particles will have less energy to
overcome attractive forces, and will eventually turn back into
a liquid. Similarly, by cooling a liquid, it will turn into a solid.
Here is a diagrammatic summary of the above:
Transitioning from one state of matter to another
There is a name for each of the respective changes from
one state to another. The diagram below is a good summary
of these:
*A change from liquid to
gas can also be called
evaporation.
* However evaporation and boiling are two very different
things. These two terms will be differentiated in detail in
another topic. Just memorize boiling for now.
Brownian motion
One day, a scientist was observing a pollen grain
suspended in water. He realized that the pollen grain was
actually constantly moving in random directions. It looked
like this:
This made the scientist wonder why the pollen grain was
moving in this fashion… And he figured it out.
Remember the kinetic theory of matter? Particles are always
in constant motion. This meant that the water molecules
were actually bombarding the pollen grain in random
directions to cause the sort of movement observed above.
Brownian motion is therefore defined as the erratic random
movement of microscopic particles in a fluid (i.e. pollen), as
a result of continuous bombardment from molecules of the
fluid (i.e. water molecules).
Diffusion
Diffusion is the net movement of particles from a region of
their higher concentration to a region of their lower
concentration down a concentration gradient.
The constant random movement of particles (and their
kinetic energy) allows diffusion to occur. Ultimately this
means that particles will spread out from one place to
another.
There are many things that can affect the rate of diffusion.
Molecular mass is one of these things. Heavier molecules
will travel slower than lighter molecules. In other words, the
higher the molecular mass, the slower the rate of diffusion.
Cambridge In 5 Minutes
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IGCSE CHEMISTRY REVISION [Syllabus 1]- Kinetic Theory
Of Matter & Brownian Motion
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