Changes in States of Matter

Lesson 2 The snowflake falls, yet lays not long

Its feath’ry grasp on Mother Earth

Ere Sun returns it to the vapors Whence it came,

Or to waters tumbling down the rocky slope.

Rod O’ Connor
Remember that we spoke about the states of
matter? These were solids liquids and gases. A
substance can change from one state to
another.

For example, a solid can change into a liquid.

Water can be a liquid in your glass or turn into

ice in the freezer. Ice is a solid.

But what makes these substances change

from one state to another?
 What causes a change of state?

If you place tap water into an ice tray and put this in the
freezer, what will happen to the water?

If you now take ice cubes and place them in the sun, what
happens to the ice cubes?

The difference between a freezer and the Sun outside is

that one is hot and the other is cold. If we place the water in
a place that is cold enough, it freezes. If we place the ice
cubes in a hot place, they melt.

This is because the state of matter can be changed from

one to another by adding or removing heat.

Let's try and understand this a bit more.

Change of state due to heating
Melting and evaporation are two processes that take place on
heating.
Melting
On heating, a solid changes into a liquid. This process is called melting.

On heating, the particles of a solid start vibrating faster and finally

break away from the rigid pattern.

As the particles move away from each other, the space between the
particles increases and the solid turns into a liquid.
Evaporation
The change of a liquid into a gas, on heating is called evaporation.

On heating, the particles of a liquid start vibrating very fast. In other

words, they move away from each other. Finally they break free from the
existing arrangement and escape in all directions. Thus, a liquid changes
into gas.
Examples of Melting and Evaporation
Change in state due to cooling
Condensation and freezing are two
processes that take place due to cooling.
Condensation
The change of a vapour into a liquid on cooling is called condensation.

On cooling, the particles of a gas start slowing down. Thus, the particles
become less free to move and come closer to each other. As a result the
gas turns into a liquid.
Freezing
The change of a liquid into a solid on cooling is known as freezing.

On cooling, the particles of a liquid start slowing down and come closer
to each other. They pack themselves into a rigid solid state.
In the ocean, icebergs and floating ice are
water that has frozen as it is so cold.

Water droplets on the outside of a cold glass.

Ice cream is frozen milk and

cream.
Here is a summary of the different state changes:

Change of state Heating or cooling? We call the process

Solid to a liquid Heating Melting

Liquid to a gas Heating Evaporating

Gas to a liquid Cooling Condensing

Liquid to a solid Cooling Freezing or

solidifying
Temperature

Some substances melt very easily, while others need to be

heated a while.

The ice cream probably melts very quickly, but the

chocolate takes longer.

Each substance starts melting at a certain temperature.

This is called the melting point of a substance.

Temperature is measured in degrees Celsius (oC) with an

instrument called a thermometer.
 People say the Earth is the blue planet, because much of

Earth -The Blue Planet its surface is covered in water and the land forms a small
part.

Did you know that the amount of water on Earth now is

about the same as when the dinosaurs lived on our planet.
How is that possible?

The answer is that invisible water vapour in the air cools

and condenses to form drops of water. The reverse
process takes place when water evaporates. When the
water evaporates, it can not be seen anymore as it has
become a gas called water vapour. This process of water
always changing from a liquid to a gas and back again is
an ongoing process. It is called the water cycle and this is
why the amount of water on Earth stays the same.
The water cycle
Water is a substance that can exist in all three states- solid ice, liquid water and

gaseous water vapour.

The chemical properties of all three states are the same and they can interchange
into one another.

The water cycle in nature includes all three interconversions of states of water.

The boiling point of water is 1000C.

The freezing point of water is 00C.

● When rocks get really hot they turn
into a liquid called magma or lava.
● Gas can be turned into a liquid
through pressure. By squeezing all
the gas molecules tightly together
a gas can become liquid.
● We use natural gas in our homes in
its gas state, but when it's shipped
in ocean tankers it's shipped in a
liquid state to save on space.