PLASMA MATTER

Monserrat Vásquez
Science 5B
 STATE OF MATTER: PLASMA
„ Plasma is a state of matter that is often thought of as a subset of gases, but the two
states behave very differently. Like gases, plasmas have no fixed shape or volume, and
are less dense than solids or liquids. But unlike ordinary gases, plasmas are made up of
atoms in which some or all of the electrons have been stripped away and positively
charged nuclei, called ions, roam freely.
„ "A gas is made of neutral molecules and atoms," said Xuedong Hu, a professor of
physics at the University at Buffalo. That is, the number of negatively charged
electrons equals the number of positively charged protons.
 PLASMA IN ACTION
„ One place you can see plasmas in action is in a fluorescent light bulb or neon sign. In those
cases a gas (neon for signs) is subjected to a high voltage, and the electrons are either
separated from the atoms of the gas or pushed into higher energy levels. The gas inside the
bulb becomes a conductive plasma. The excited electrons that drop back into their previous
energy levels emit photons – the light we see in a neon sign or fluorescent lamp.
„ Another use for plasma is in plasma globes, which are full of noble gas mixes that produce
the colors of the "lightning" inside them when an electric current ionizes the gas.
„ My last example is that plasma is in the auroras that surround the poles when the sun is
particularly active. The solar wind is a stream of charged particles (mostly protons), which
hit Earth's magnetic field. Those particles, being charged, follow magnetic field lines and
move toward the poles, where they collide with and excite atoms in the air, mostly oxygen
and nitrogen. Like a neon sign, the excited oxygen and nitrogen atoms give off light.
 FINDING PLASMA
„ While natural plasmas aren't found around you that often, man-made
plasmas are everywhere. Think about fluorescent light bulbs. They
are not like regular light bulbs. Inside the long tube is a gas.
Electricity flows through the tube when the light is turned on. The
electricity acts as an energy source and charges up the gas. This
charging and exciting of the atoms creates glowing plasma inside the
bulb. The electricity helps to strip the gas molecules of their
electrons.
PROCESS
 WHAT CAN WE DO WITH PLASMA

„ Plasma is used in television, neon signs and fluorescent lights. Stars, lightning,
the Aurora, and some flames consist of plasma. Plasma torches like that are
used in industry to cut metals.
PLASMA PICTURES
DEFINITIONS

• Ion: An atom or molecule with a net electric charge due to the loss or gain of one or more electrons.
• Atom: The smallest particle of a chemical element that can exist.
• Proton: A stable subatomic particle occurring in all atomic nuclei.
• Neutral Gases: A neutral gas is one that is stable (meaning it has 8 valence electrons in its outer level
already and does not need to react to achieve these 8 electrons). These gases are also called Noble
gases. Helium is considered a neutral gas because it only has one energy level and can only hold 2
electrons.