Kinetic particle theory and state changes

The kinetic particle theory explains the properties of solids, liquids and gases. There are energy
changes when changes in state occur. Brownian motion is the random movement of fluid
particles.

Kinetic particle theory

The kinetic particle theory explains the properties of the different states of matter. The particles
in solids, liquids and gases have different amounts of energy. They are arranged differently and
move in different ways.

The table summarises the arrangement and movement of the particles in solids, liquids and gases,
and shows simple diagrams for the arrangement of these particles.

Particle arrangement and movement

Solids
Properties Why they are like this

They have a fixed shape and cannot

The particles cannot move from place to place
flow

They cannot be compressed or The particles are close together and have no space to move
squashed into

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Liquids
Properties Why they are like this

They flow and take the shape of their

The particles are free to move around each other
container

The particles are close together and have no space to

They cannot be compressed or squashed
move into

Gases
Properties Why they are like this

They flow and completely fill their

The particles can move quickly in all directions
container

The particles are far apart and have space to move

They can be compressed or squashed
into

Thermal expansion of solids, liquids and gases

All three states of matter (solid, liquid and gas) expand when heated. The atoms themselves do
not expand, but the volume they take up does.

When a solid is heated, its atoms vibrate faster about their fixed points. The relative increase in
the size of solids when heated is therefore small. Metal railway tracks have small gaps so that
when the sun heats them, the tracks expand into these gaps and don’t buckle.

Liquids expand for the same reason, but because the bonds between separate molecules are
usually less tight they expand more than solids. This is the principle behind liquid-in-glass
thermometers. An increase in temperature results in the expansion of the liquid which means it
rises up the glass.

Molecules within gases are further apart and weakly attracted to each other. Heat causes the
molecules to move faster, (heat energy is converted to kinetic energy) which means that the
volume of a gas increases more than the volume of a solid or liquid.

However, gases that are contained in a fixed volume cannot expand - and so increases in
temperature result in increases in pressure.

State changes
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 Changes of state are:

 solids melting into liquids

 liquids boiling into gases
 gases condensing into liquids
 liquids freezing or solidifying into solids
Evaporation is sometimes confused with boiling. They both involve liquids turning to gases, but
evaporation is different because:

 it occurs at any temperature - not just the boiling point

 it only happens at the surface of the liquid - not throughout like boiling
 boiling requires an energy input - whereas evaporation is the release of the molecules with the
highest energy
Evaporation cools liquids as a result of this energy loss. Evaporation is increased by higher
temperatures, a greater surface area or a draft over this surface area.

A substance must absorb heat energy so that it can melt or boil. The temperature of the substance
does not change during melting, boiling or freezing - even though energy is still being
transferred.

Heating curves and cooling curves

A heating curve is a graph showing the temperature of a substance plotted against the amount of
energy it has absorbed. You may also see a cooling curve, which is obtained when a substance
cools down and changes state.

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A heating curve for ice

The temperature stays the same when a solid is melting or a liquid is boiling (changing state)
during a change of state, even though heat energy is being absorbed.

The temperature also stays the same while a liquid freezes, even though heat energy is still being
released to the surroundings.