States of Matter, Mixtures, and Separation Techniques

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering phases of matter, the particle model, properties of solids, liquids, and gases, and various scientific and traditional mixture separation techniques.

Change of state

A transition between forms of matter when energy is added or removed.

Compressible

Able to be squeezed into a smaller space, such as gases.

Fluid

Able to flow and change shape; includes both liquids and gases.

Incompressible

Unable to be squeezed into a smaller space; solids and liquids are usually incompressible.

Rigid

Unable to bend, flow or change shape because particles are held close together in fixed positions.

Solidification

A change of state from liquid to solid where particles lose energy and become held in fixed positions.

Water vapour

An invisible gas in air representing water in its gas state.

Matter

Any substance that takes up space and has mass.

Mass

The amount of substance matter has.

Volume

The amount of space that a substance takes up.

Particle model

The theory that all substances are made up of tiny particles which explains properties and changes of state.

Brownian Motion

The random movement of particles in liquids and gases.

Solid

A substance with a fixed state and volume where particles are packed tightly and vibrate in fixed positions.

Liquid

A substance with a fixed volume that flows and changes shape to fit its container.

Gas

A substance with no fixed shape or volume whose particles move quickly and spread apart.

Contraction

When cooling particles (removing heat energy) causes a substance to get closer together.

Expansion

When heating particles (adding heat energy) causes a substance to spread out.

Physical property

A characteristic that can be measured or observed without changing the substance, such as color, size, or boiling point.

Chemical property

A characteristic describing how a substance reacts with others, such as acidity or how it rusts in oxygen.

Density

Describes how heavy or light something is for its size, expressed by the formula $\text{Density} = \frac{\text{mass}}{\text{volume}}$.

Viscosity

The resistance to flow or the thickness of a liquid.

Melting

The change of state from solid to liquid as particles gain energy.

Evaporation

A change of state from liquid to a gas occurring specifically at the surface of the liquid.

Boiling

Rapid vaporization of a liquid with vigorous bubbling when heated to its boiling point, such as $100^{\circ}\text{C}$ for water.

Sublimation

The change of state where a solid turns directly into a gas without passing through the liquid phase.

Condensation

The change of state from a gas to a liquid as particles lose energy and move closer together.

Deposition

The change of state where a gas turns directly into a solid without passing through the liquid phase.

Pure Substance

A material made up of only one type of substance, such as pure gold or table salt.

Mixture

A combination of two or more substances that are not chemically bonded and can be physically separated.

Solution

A type of homogeneous mixture where one substance is evenly distributed and dissolved in another.

Suspension

A mixture with suspended particles that eventually settle and separate over time if left still.

Colloid

A mixture where suspended particles do not separate on their own and scatter light, making the mixture cloudy.

Emulsion

A colloid consisting of two or more liquids, such as milk or butter.

Homogeneous mixture

A mixture where components are evenly distributed and no sediment forms when left to stand.

Heterogeneous mixture

A mixture where components are not evenly distributed and can be separated into parts that retain original properties.

Solute

The substance that is dissolved within a solvent.

Solvent

The substance that dissolves a solute.

Soluble

Describes a substance whose particles can be broken apart by a solvent to form a solution.

Insoluble

Describes a substance that cannot be dissolved in a particular solvent due to strong internal forces of attraction.

Dilute

A solution containing only a small amount of solute compared to the volume of solvent.

Concentrated

A solution containing a large amount of solute compared to the volume of solvent.

Saturated

A solution with the maximum amount of solute dissolved; any additional solute will sink to the bottom as sediment.

Magnetic separation

Using magnets to remove iron-containing substances from non-magnetic materials.

Decantation

Using gravity to separate substances by pouring off the top liquid layer of a mixture.

Flocculation

The addition of a flocculant to make fine particles clump together so they sink faster.

Flotation

Separating components based on their ability to float, determined by density and buoyancy.

Centrifuging

Separating substances by spinning them very quickly so the densest materials move toward the outside and bottom.

Filtration

A technique used to separate insoluble solids from liquids or gases based on particle size.

Filtrate

The liquid that passes through a filter during the filtration process.

Residue

The solid material that is trapped and left behind in a filter.

Winnowing/yandying

A separation technique used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to remove lighter husks from heavier seeds using wind.

Chromatography

A technique that separates substances based on their solubility as they move at different speeds along a stationary phase.

Mobile phase

The solvent that moves along with the soluble parts of a mixture in chromatography.

Stationary phase

The substance that stays still during chromatography while the mobile phase moves across it.

Volatility

A measure of how easily a liquid evaporates; higher volatility corresponds to a lower boiling point.

Distillation

A separation technique that recovers a liquid from a solution by evaporating it and then condensing the vapor.

Distillate

The condensed liquid product resulting from the distillation process.