Name : _________________________

Date: _________________________

Combined Science (Chemistry): The Kinetic Particle Theory

1. Kinetic Particle Theory

A) Physical state of matter
• Matter can exist either as a solid, a liquid or a gas at room temperature.
o The physical state of matter at room temperature depends on its melting point and
boiling point.
o Melting point is the point of temperature at which a substance changes from solid into
a liquid.
o Boiling point is the point of temperature at which substance changes from a liquid into
a gas.
• The physical state properties of solids, liquids and gases are as follows:

Physical Property Solid Liquid Gas

Volume Definite Definite Indefinite
Take the shape of the
Shape Definite Indefinite
container
Compressibility Difficult Quite difficult Easy

• The mass of a substance is conserved when it undergoes changes in its physical state.

B) The Kinetic Particle Theory

• states that:
(1) all matter is made up of small particles that cannot be seen with the naked eye, and
(2) the particles are in constant random motion.
• Particles possess kinetic energy that changes with temperature.

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• The particles in a matter are arranged and behave differently in different physical states.

Physical State Solid Liquid Gas

Diagram

Move freely in all

Vibrate at fixed Move about within
Motion directions at high
positions only confined space
speed
Attractive force Very strong Moderate Very weak
Arrangement Regular and fixed Irregular and random Irregular and random
Distance Very close together Quite close Very far apart

C) Change in physical state

• A change in physical state does not produce a new substance. It is called a physical change.
• Heat is taken in from the surroundings when substance undergo melting and
boiling/evaporation.
• Heat is given out to the surroundings when substance undergo freezing and condensation.

• During a change in state for pure substances, the temperature remains constant, until all
of the substance is changed from one state to another.

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 Name : _________________________

Date: _________________________

The Kinetic Particle Theory (Worksheet 1)

1. Sketch the arrangement of the particles for the respective states of matter.
Solid Liquid Gas

2. Describe the physical properties for solids, liquids and gases:

Solids Liquids Gases

Volume

Shape

Compressibility

3. Describe the characteristics of solids, liquids and gases based on the kinetic particle theory.

Solids Liquids Gases

Motion

Attractive forces
between particles
Arrangement of
particles
Distance between
particles

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4. Define the following terms:
(a) Melting point

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(b) Boiling point

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(c) Sublimation

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(d) Freezing point

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Paper 1: MCQ

1. The table below shows the melting and boiling points of four metals.

metal melting point / ºC boiling point / ºC

caesium 29 685
potassium 63 765
rubidium 39 701
sodium 98 890

When the metals are cooled to 50 °C, some of these metals will solidify.

Which metals will solidify?

A. caesium and rubidium only

B. potassium and sodium only
C. rubidium and sodium only
D. all metals

2. The diagrams below show the particles of a substance at the various temperatures.

What are the melting point and boiling point of this substance?

melting point / ºC boiling point / ºC

A -187 -100
B -180 0
C -120 -56
D 150 238

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3. The table shows the physical states of a substance X at 20 ºC, 110 ºC and 200 ºC.

Temperature (ºC) Physical State

20 Solid
200 Gas
110 Liquid

Which set of readings shows the possible melting point and boiling point of substance X?

melting point / ºC boiling point / ºC

A 15 112
B 108 150
C 112 145
D 110 210

4. Which of the following is/are similar between solids and liquids?

I Both are incompressible
II Both are compressible
III Solids have a fixed volume while liquids do not.
IV Solids have a fixed shape while liquids do not (they take the shape of
the container
A. II only C. II and IV only
B. I and III only D. I and IV only

5. The diagram below shows how particles are packed in a block of metal.

What would happen to the particles after the block of metal is heated?

A. The particles increase in size.

B. The particles increase in number.
C. The particles change into another shape.
D. The particles move further away from each other.

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6. Which of the following explains why matter expands upon heating?

A. Heat energy is given out by the particles, causing them to slow down and move further
apart.
B. Heat energy is taken in by the particles, causing them to move faster and become closer
together.
C. Heat energy is given out by the particles, causing them to slow down and move closer
together.
D. Heat energy is taken in by the particles, causing them to move faster and further apart.

7. Which of the following correctly shows the transfer of heat when a matter changes its
state?

8. The data below shows the melting and boiling points of substance X.

Which of the following statements about substance X is correct?

A. It condenses at 390°C.
B. It freezes at −30°C.
C. It is a solid at −50°C.
D. It is a gas at 0°C.

9. Which property of a substance indicates whether it is a liquid or solid at room temperature?

A. boiling point
B. density
C. melting point
D. solubility point

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Paper 2: Structured Questions

1. Four processes, A, B, C and D are shown below.

(a) Identify the processes (A, B, C or D) that release heat to the surroundings

process 1: _____________ process 2: _____________ [2]

(b) Name the processes identified in (a).

process 1: _____________ process 2: _____________ [2]

(c) Sketch the arrangement of the particles for the respective states of matter.

Solid Liquid Gas

(d) State a physical property of liquids.

___________________________________________________________________________

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2. The gas in a can of hairspray is made up mainly of a hydrocarbon X. The boiling point of
the hydrocarbon X is -5 ºC and its melting point is -120 ºC.

(a) Complete the table below by making use of the above information.

(b) If ‘O’ represents a molecule of hydrocarbon X, show the arrangement of the molecules
at -25 ºC and at 30 ºC, in the boxes below.

-25 ºC 30 ºC

(c) Hydrocarbon X is usually kept as a liquid in aerosol sprays by pressurizing it. When
the seal on the aerosol can is opened, the pressure is reduced. This allows the liquid to
turn into a gas. What is the advantage of carrying hydrocarbon X as a liquid rather than
a gas?

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

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3. Ethanol is a liquid at room temperature that is commonly found in antibacterial wipes and
hand-sanitizer gels.
(a) The diagram below shows the changes in the physical states of ethanol and the
processes involved.

On the diagram above, fill in the blanks with the physical states of ethanol.

(b) Ethanol has a melting point of - 115 oC and boiling point of 78 oC.
Ethanol is compared to two other substances, carbon dioxide and gold.

(i) At room temperature, ethanol is a liquid, but carbon dioxide is a gas.

State the substance which has a higher boiling point.

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(ii) Gold has a melting point of 1064 oC.

Compare the physical states of gold and ethanol at 100 oC.

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(c) Explain why during freezing, there is no change in temperature of the substance.

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 Name : _________________________

Date: _________________________

The Kinetic Particle Theory (Worksheet 2)

Paper1: MCQ

1. Which of the following properties is true for both solids and liquids?
A. Both have fixed shapes C. Both have the same densities
B. Both have fixed volumes D. Both have the same colour.

2. What happens to the particles in a balloon when it is compressed?

A. The particles move slower
B. The particles move freely, bounce and knock against each other more often.
C. The particles vibrate more vigorously about their fixed positions.
D. The particles cannot move at all.

3. Which event would take place when steam changes back to water at room temperature?
A. The particles become regularly arranged.
B. The particles become smaller
C. The particles lose energy and move slower
D. The particles move further apart.

4. Which statements is true about table salt crystals when they change to liquid after melting?
A. It does not occupy space
B. It does not take the shape of its container.
C. It does not have a definite volume.
D. It cannot be compressed easily.

5. Which of the following descriptions can be applied to a sheet of paper?

I It has mass and occupies space. III It is highly compressible.

II It has low compressibility IV It has a definite volume

A. I, II, III C. II, III, IV

B. I, II, IV D. All of the above

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6. Which of the statements is correct?
A. The particles of a substance have lower kinetic energy in solid than in liquid state.
B. The particles in liquids move freely in all directions when temperature increases.
C. The size of the particles in gaseous state is bigger than those in liquid state.
D. The mass of a given sample of substance increases when it changes from solid to liquid.

7. The diagram shows a spoonful of sugar crystals dissolved in water.

Which one of the following correctly describes the particles in a dilute sugar solution at
room temperature?

Water molecules Sugar molecules

A Widely separated and moving at random Widely separated and moving at random
B Close together and vibrate only Widely separated and vibrate only
C Widely separated and moving at random Close together and moving at random
D Close together and moving at random Widely separated and moving at random

8. Which substance A, B , C or D undergoes changes in physical states from room temperature

to 0°C?

Melting point / °C Boiling point / °C

A -2 65
B -23 4
C 50 250
D -187 -165

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Paper 2: Structured questions

1. The diagram below shows a beaker containing boiling water.

(a) Sketch the arrangement of particles for the following
(i) boiling water (ii) steam

(b) Describe what would happen to the motion and the distance of particles during boiling
in terms of the particulate model of matter.

___________________________________________________________________________

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2. Describe in details, using the knowledge of the kinetic particle theory, the changes in the
particles and its energy when water is placed in the freezer unit of a refrigerator.

______________________________________________________________________________

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3. An experiment is set up below to break down liquid paraffin soaked in cotton wool by
strong heating.

A gas is collected when the first bubbles appeared. Two test tubes are used to collect two
gases with different boiling points.
(a) Draw the arrangement of particles at X.

(b) Hence, describe the behaviour of particles in terms of motion and distance at X.

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

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4. The diagrams show the arrangement of the particles in two substances X and Y.
Use the diagrams to answer the following questions.

(a) Why do substances X and Y have a low compressibility?

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(b) What is the similar motion in both the particles of substances X and Y?

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 Name : _________________________

Date: _________________________

The Kinetic Particle Theory (Test)

Paper 1: MCQ [10 marks]

1. An object X has a melting point of 120o C and a boiling point of 410 o C. At which of the
following conditions does object X have the lowest density?
A. 0 o C
B. 121 o C
C. 350 o C
D. 411 o C

2. A substance evaporates relatively quickly when left in the open. Which of the following
would be its boiling point?
A. 0 o C
B. 28 o C
C. 100 o C
D. 110 o C

3. The following diagram shows the arrangement of particles in a substance:

Which of the following statements is true about the particles in the above substance?
A. The particles are able to slide over each other in random directions
B. The particles are held by weak forces of attraction
C. The particles can move around freely at great speeds
D. The particles vibrate about their fixed positions.

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4. Which sentence best describes the arrangement of particles in water?
A. They are close together in an orderly arrangement
B. They are close together in a disorderly arrangement
C. They are far apart in an orderly arrangement
D. They are far apart in a disorderly arrangement

5. Which of the following statements explains why gases have no fixed shape?
A. The gas particles are far apart from each other.
B. The gas particles are held by strong forces of attraction
C. The gas particles are free to move around in all directions
D. The gas particles are in a random arrangement

6. The diagram below shows the changes in state of water:

Identify the four processes:

Process 1 Process 2 Process 3 Process 4

A Condensation Freezing Melting Evaporation

B Melting Condensation Freezing Evaporation

C Melting Evaporation Condensation Freezing

D Evaporation Melting Condensation Freezing

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7. Which of the following correctly lists whether the shape and volume of a liquid is fixed or
not fixed?

Shape of Liquid Volume of liquid

A fixed fixed
B not fixed not fixed
C fixed not fixed
D not fixed fixed

8. The table below shows the melting point and boiling point for substance Z.

Melting point Boiling point

Substance Z 10 o C 80 o C

What is the physical state of Z at 25o C?

A. Solid C. Liquid and Gas

B. Liquid D. Gas

9. What happens to a solid when its temperature decreases?

A. its density increases C. its weight decreases

B. its density decreases D. its volume increases

10. Which property of a substance indicates whether it is a liquid or gas at room temperature?

A. boiling point
B. freezing point
C. melting point
D. cooling point

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Section B: Short Answer Questions [5 marks]

1. Water has a boiling point of 100 o C.

(a) Describe what happens to the movement and arrangement of particles in water when it
is heated from a temperature of 80 o C to 105 o C. [2]

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(b) Draw the arrangement of particles at 80 o C and at 105 o C. [2]

At 80 o C At 105 o C

(c) Explain what is meant by iodine sublimes at 184 o C. [1]

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