States of Matter and Mixtures

These flashcards cover the key vocabulary and concepts regarding the state of matter, properties of solids, liquids, and gases, as well as the classification and separation of mixtures based on the lecture notes.

Change of state

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

Compressible

Able to be squeezed into a smaller space; gases are easily compressed due to the large amount of empty space between particles.

Fluid

Able to flow and change shape; both liquids and gases are considered fluid because their particles move around each other.

Incompressible

Unable to be squeezed into a smaller space; solids and liquids are usually incompressible because particles are already close together.

Rigid

Unable to bend, flow, or change shape; solids are rigid because particles are held in fixed positions.

Solidification

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

Water vapour

Water in its gas state; it is an invisible gas in the air that forms clouds and fog when it cools and condenses.

Matter

Any substance that has mass (amount of substance) and volume (space occupied), such as wood, water, or air.

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 move only by vibrating on the spot.

Liquid

A substance with a fixed volume that flows and changes shape; particles move freely around each other but stay close together.

Gas

A substance with no fixed shape or volume where particles are spread apart and move quickly to fill a container.

Expansion

The spreading out of particles in a substance caused by adding heat energy.

Contraction

The process of particles getting closer together when heat energy is removed.

Physical property

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

Chemical property

A characteristic describing how a substance reacts with other substances, such as rusting, acidity, or biodegradability.

Density

A measure of how heavy or light something is for its size, calculated by the formula $\text{Density} = \frac{\text{Mass}}{\text{Volume}}$.

Viscosity

The resistance to flow, or 'thickness' of a liquid, based on the strength of attraction between particles.

Melting

The change of state from solid to liquid where particles gain energy and begin to move around each other.

Evaporation

A change of state from liquid to gas occurring at the surface where particles gain energy, speed up, and spread apart.

Boiling

The rapid vaporization of a liquid with vigorous bubbling when heated to its boiling point; water boils at $100\,^\circ\text{C}$.

Sublimation

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

Condensation

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

Deposition

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

Pure Substance

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

Mixture

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

Solution

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

Suspension

A heterogeneous mixture with particles that settle and separate over time unless kept in motion.

Colloid

A mixture with suspended particles that will not dissolve and do not separate on their own; they scatter light and appear cloudy.

Emulsion

A colloid of two or more liquids where liquid droplets are suspended in another liquid, such as milk or butter.

Homogeneous mixture

A mixture where components are evenly distributed and do not settle; it appears uniform throughout.

Heterogeneous mixture

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

Soluble

The ability of a substance to be dissolved in a particular solvent because attractive forces between particles are broken.

Insoluble

The inability of a substance to dissolve in a solvent due to very strong internal forces of attraction.

Dilute

A solution containing a small amount of solute relative to the amount of solvent.

Concentrated

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

Saturated

A solution containing the maximum amount of solute that can be dissolved; any additional solute will sink to the bottom as sediment.

Magnetic separation

A technique using magnets to remove iron-containing substances from non-magnetic materials.

Decantation

A separation technique using gravity to pour off the top liquid layer of a mixture, leaving solids or denser liquids behind.

Flocculation

The addition of a substance that causes small particles to clump together so they sink faster during the separation process.

Flotation

Separating components based on buoyancy, where lower density substances float on top of higher density substances.

Centrifuging

A separation method using rapid spinning to force densest substances toward the outside or bottom of a container.

Filtration

The use of a barrier to separate insoluble solids from liquids based on particle size.

Filtrate

The liquid that has successfully passed through a filter.

Winnowing/Yandying

An Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander separation technique throwing a seed/husk mixture into the air so the wind removes the lighter husks.

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 the chromatography paper carrying soluble parts of the mixture.

Volatility

A measure of how easily a liquid evaporates; the more volatile a liquid, the lower its boiling point.

Distillation

A process separating substances in a liquid by evaporation followed by condensation to recover a pure liquid distillate.