The three states of matter-solid, liquid and gas

• Materials come in three different forms-solid, liquid and gas.

• Which state something is at a certain temperature depends on how strong the forces of attraction are between the particles of the material

• How strong the forces are depends on three things

  • The material(the structure of the substance, and the type of bonds holding the particles together)

  • The temperature

  • The pressure

Particles theory:

• Solids

  • In solids, there are strong forces of attraction between particles, which holds them close together in fixed positions to form a very regular lattice arrangement

  • The particles don’t move from their positions, so all solids keep a definite shape and volume and don’t flow like liquids

  • The particles vibrate about their positions, the hotter the solid becomes, the more they vibrate(causing solids to expand slightly when heated)

• Liquids

  • In liquids, there’s a weak force of attraction between the particles

  • They’re randomly arranged and free to move

  • Definite volume but don’t keep a definite shape

  • Constantly moving with a random motion, hotter the liquid faster they move

• Gases

  • In gases, the force of attraction is very weak

  • Free to move and far apart

  • Constantly moving with a random motion

State symbols tell you the state of a substance in an equation

• Solid-s

• Liquid-l

• Gas-g

• Aqueous(means dissolved in water)-aq