(POM) Properties of Matter Module Overview

Properties of Matter Module Overview

At this point in your schooling career, you should know that matter is all around us in the form of solids, liquids, and gases. In this module, we will investigate the basic properties of matter and how matter changes. You will understand why your bathroom fogs up when you shower, why your glass sweats, and why you shouldn't carry chocolate candy in your pocket on a hot day. You will also calculate density and see how this property of matter affects its interaction with other matter. Progress through this module so you can see why matter matters!

Essential Questions

• How are particles in solids, liquids, and gases arranged, and how does that affect properties?
• What property allows for a huge tree to float in water but a tiny stone pebble to sink?
• How do specific conditions affect the states of matter?
• How does an ideal gas behave in terms of temperature, pressure, and volume?

Key Terms

1. Matter – the substance that is seen all around us, consists of anything that has mass and volume.
2. Element - a substance composed of atoms having an identical number of protons in each nucleus. Elements cannot be reduced to simpler substances by normal chemical means.
3. Compound - a pure, homogeneous substance consisting of atoms or ions of two or more different elements in definite proportions that cannot be separated by physical means. A compound usually has properties unlike those of its constituent elements.
4. Mixture - a composition of two or more substances that are not chemically combined with each other and are capable of being separated.
5. Pure substance - a sample of matter, either an element or a compound, that consists of only one component with definite physical and chemical properties and a definite composition.
6. Chemical change - a process where bonds are broken and new bonds are formed between different atoms.
7. Physical change - a usually reversible change in the physical properties of a substance, such as size or shape.
8. Gas – a substance having no definite shape and no definite volume. The molecules are spread out and free to move.
9. Liquid – a substance having a definite volume, but no definite shape. The intermolecular forces hold these atoms or molecules loosely together but do not force them into a rigid structure allowing liquids the ability to flow.
10. Solid - a substance having a definite shape and definite volume. The atoms or molecules are held in a rigid structure. Although they are free to vibrate, they cannot move around.
11. Plasma - gases that have been so energized that their atoms have been stripped of some or all electrons.
12. Pressure - the force exerted on a surface per unit area.
13. Volume - the amount of space that a substance or object occupies.
14. Boyle's Gas Law - an experimental gas law that describes how the pressure of a gas tends to decrease as the volume of a gas increases. Shown by the equation P1V1 = P2V2.
15. Charles's Gas Law - an experimental gas law that describes how gases tend to expand when heated. Shown by the equation V1 / T1 = V2 / T2.
16. Ideal Gas Law - a law that describes the relationships between measurable properties of an ideal gas. The law states that P × V = n × (R) × T, where P is pressure, V is volume, n is the number of moles of molecules, T is the absolute temperature, and R is the gas constant.
17. Density – the ratio of the object's mass to its volume. The formula is d = m / V.
18. Chemical property – a characteristic of a substance that can be observed during a reaction in which the chemical composition or identity of the substance is changed.
19. Physical property - a characteristic of a substance that can be observed or measured without changing the identity of the substance.
20. Phase change - a change from one state (solid or liquid or gas) to another without a change in chemical composition.
21. Phase change diagram - a graph, usually using temperature, pressure, and composition as coordinates, indicating the regions of stability of the various phases of a system.
22. Melting - a physical process that results in the phase transition of a substance from a solid to a liquid.
23. Freezing - a physical process that results in the phase transition of a substance from a liquid to a solid.
24. Condensation - a physical process that results in the phase transition of a substance from a gas to a liquid.
25. Vaporization - a physical process that results in the phase transition of a substance from a liquid to a gas.
26. Sublimation - a physical process that results in the phase transition of a substance from a solid directly to a gas without first becoming a liquid.
27. Deposition – a physical process that results in a phase transition of a substance from a gas directly to a solid without first becoming a liquid. It is the opposite of sublimation.
28. Heat of fusion - the heat absorbed per unit mass of a given solid at its melting point that completely converts the solid to a liquid at the same temperature.
29. Heat of vaporization - the heat absorbed per unit mass of a given material at its boiling point that completely converts the material to a gas at the same temperature.

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