THE PARTICLE NATURE OF MATTER

MATTER is anything that occupies space and has mass.
  • The mass of an object is a measure of the amount of matter the object has.
  • The measure of space occupied by an object is called volume.
  • Almost 2,500 years ago, Leucippus and his discipline, Democritus believed that nature consisted of 2 things, “atoms and the void that surrounds them’.
  • They believe that “atoms are physically, but not geometrically, indivisible”.
  • Atomos, a Greek word that means indivisible particle
DEMOCRITUS (460 B.CC - 370 B.C.)
  1. All matter is composed of atoms in a void.
  2. Atoms were indivisible and indestructible.
  3. The properties of an atom differ in shape, arrangement, and size.
  4. The shape of the atom determined the substance’s properties.
JOHN DALTON (1766 - 1844)
  • He developed a theory to explain why the elements in a compound always join in the same way.
  • He proposed explanations for many of the laws describing the behavior of matter,
  • Dalton’s theory stated “All matter is made up of individual particles called atoms, which cannot be divided”.
MATTER is made up of tiny and discrete particles. The particles may be atoms, molecules, or ions.
  • Atom - the smallest particle of an element that has all properties of the element.
  • Molecule - a neutral particle that consists of 2 or more atoms that are chemically bonded together.
  • Ion - a positively or negatively charged particle.
CHARACTERISTICS OF PARTICLES OF MATTER

Everything around us is made up of tiny pieces or particles (atoms, ions, and molecules).

  1. Particles of matter are very, very small.
  2. Have spaces between them.
  3. They’re constantly moving.
  4. Attract each other.
THREE STATES OF MATTER
  • GAS - particles can move past each other. Lots of free space between particles. It flows easily.
  • LIQUIDS - particles can move/slide past one another. A little free space between particles. It also flows easily.
  • SOLIDS - contains fixed volume and shape, rigid particles locked into place. A little free space between particles. It does not flow easily.
PLASMA is a hot ionized gas consisting of approximately equal numbers of positively charged ions and negatively charged electrons.
BOSE-EINSTEIN CONDENSATE (BEC) is a state of matter of a dilute gas of bosons cooled to temperatures very close to absolute 0 (-273.15 degrees Celsius).
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MATTER

- is a property that can be observed or measured without changing the identity of the matter. E.g. Color, odor, shape, size, etc.

  1. @@Intensive/ Intrinsic Properties@@ - don’t depend on the amount of matter present. E.g. color, odor, hardness, melting/freezing point, boiling point, density, malleability, and luster.
  2. @@Extensive/Extrinsic Properties@@ - do depend on the amount of matter present. E.g. mass, weight, volume, length
CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF MATTER

A chemical property describes a substance and its ability to change into a new substance with different properties.

  1. @@Flammability@@ - the ability to burn. E.g. Wood can be burned to create smoke and ash.
  2. @@Reactivity@@ - when 2 substances get together, something can happen. You’ll usually see bubbling, fizzing, or color coding. There is also a production of heat, sound, light, or color. E.g. Iron reacts with Oxygen to form Rust.
  • Reactivity with Oxygen, Acid, and Water.
  • You can observe chemical properties with your senses, but they’re difficult to see. E.g. You can’t see the flammability of wood or the Non-flammability of gold unless you actually try to burn it.

A substance always has its chemical properties. Ex. A piece of wood is flammable even when it’s not burning.