Name ______________________________

States of Matter Worksheet

(This worksheet is designed to be used with the following website:
http://teach.fcps.net/trt8/Weaver/states_of_matter_webquest.htm)
States of Matter

Matter is anything that has mass and takes up

space. There are four widely known states of matter and a fifth that is less known. The three
most common are SOLIDS, LIQUIDS, AND GASES. The fourth is the PLASMA state. The fifth
is the Bose-Einstein condensate, created in 1995.

Basic Characteristics

 Solids- keep their shape, can be seen, and have a definite volume. Molecules have
strong bonds.
 Liquids- can usually be seen, has a definite volume, does not have a definite shape
unless in a container. Molecules are close together, bonds holding them are weak so the
molecules can move around more than in solids.
 Gases- often invisible, does not have a definite shape or volume unless it is in a
container. Molecules are far apart, lightly held together, and move around freely.
 Plasma- occurs at very high temperatures. For example, if you heat water to about
1,500 degrees F it will become a plasma. It is too cold for most matter to reach the
plasma state on Earth. Our sun and small stars are made of plasma. Lighting strikes are
plasma and plasma glows when it conducts electricity in neon signs and fluorescent
bulbs. The hottest candle flame is plasma.

Phases and Equilibrium

 The States of Matter, Molecular Stickiness, and Thermodynamics

The phases of matter represent 'classes' of the type of molecular motion found at different
temperatures. When the temperature is low, the motion of molecules is dominated by the
fact that they stick together, and the result is a phase of matter that is rigid and dense. When
the termperature is high, the motion of the molecules is dominated by their translational
energy, so intermolecular forces can almost be ignored. At intermediate temperatures,
molecules translate but still stick together.

Solids (tightly-bound molecules)

 At low temperatures the nuclei of the atoms of a solid vibrate about an equilibrium
position but are trapped in their lattice positions, unable to flow or diffuse.
 The intermolecular forces are stronger than the average thermal energy of the system.
 Long range radial and angular order (structure) are usually present in single crystal
solids. Even amorphous solids have relatively good spatial ordering, especially over
small distances, (10-100 molecules)

Liquids
 As the binding energy to the lattice site is overcome by thermal energy, the molecules
in the solid may slip past each other but maintain close contact.
 The overall substance is fluid, but not very compressible.
 Some long range radial ordering persists, but usually only over the size of a few
molecular diameters

Gases (free motion)

  Gases are described by the Kinetic Theory of Gases. In this limit, gas molecules have
negligible size, have no appeciable intermolecular forces, and are in continous,
random motion.
 Gases have mean free paths that are larger than molecular diameters, i.e. they are
usually isolated but occasionally have collisions
 The state of a gas is universally, if approximately, described by the Ideal Gas
Equation of State.

Surfaces and Interfaces

At the edge of any solid or liquid (condensed phase) is a surface. When two different types
of matter are in contact, they share a surface called and interface. An interface is where two
phases of matter meet. At a surface, molecules have neighbors of the same type only on one
side. Thus surface molecules are different from those in the bulk. Bulk molecules have
neighbors in all directions. At an interface between a condensed phase and a gas or a
vacuum, the molecules at the surface are unstable with respect to the bulk. Why? Because
attractive intermolecular forces must be broken to bring a molecule from the bulk to the
surface and there is nothing there to give that energy back. The number of molecules at the
surface is proportional to the surface area.

Surface Tension:

It takes energy to create a new surface of a solid or liquid because one must move a molecule from the
bulk to a site at the surface and this takes energy. The amount of energy it takes to create one unit of
area (1 m2) of new surface is called the surface tension, , with units J/m2. Here are some experimental
surface tension data:

The Surface Tension of Various Interfaces

Interface (Temperature) Surface Tension [mJ/m2]
Water / Air (20 oC) 72.75
Hg / Air (20 oC) 472
Benzene / Air (20 oC) 28.88
Water / Air (100 oC) 58.0
Viscosity:
Intermolecular forces manifest themselves not only in the surface tension tension of a liquid,
but in the way a liquid flows. The resistance to flow of a liquid is called the liquid's
viscosity . The greater the viscosity, the "more slowly it flows". The viscosity of the oil
lubricating your car engine is an important part of engine performance and longevity. You
change your oil when the viscosity of the engine oil 'breaks down' or decreases. You use in
different oil in your car during the winter than in the summer because viscosity is effected by
temperature.
  Viscosity is a measure of the ease with which molecules move past one another.
 Viscosity depends on the attractive force between the molecules.
 Viscosity of a liquid decreases with increasing temperature - the increasing kinetic
energy overcomes the attractive forces and molecules can more easily move past each
other.

Some definitions
 Surface is the edge or boundary of a material.
 Interface is the region of contact between two phases.
 Surface tension is the energy required to increase the surface area of a
liquid (or solid) by a unit amount, i.e J/m2
 Viscosity is the resistance to the flow of a liquid. Solids don't have viscosity.
 Cohesive forces bind molecules of the same type together
 Adhesive forces bind unlike molecules

Surface tension determines the pressure inside of a bubble. A free standing liquid bubble has
gas on the inside and outside; Surface tension will tend to make the bubble collapse on the
gas inside and thus cause an increase in pressure inside. This increase in pressure can be
derived (can you derive this formula?):

This formula results from the observation that a bubble has two interfaces, the pressure
increase inside a drop or cavitation, with only one interface, is only 2  / r.

Cohesive and Adhesive forces and Curved Surfaces also give rise to the phenomenon of
Capillary Action. We will assume a "contact angle" of 0 degrees to gert a simplified
expression for capilary rise. The more correct formula can be found here.
 Phase Transitions
Our understanding of surface tension was made more complete by our understanding of
intermolecular forces, i.e., the energetics of making and breaking of intermolecular bonds
between molecular 'neighbors'. Such energies can be determined experimentally by
calorimetry, or the measure of the heat flow during a chemical or physical process.

The heating of a sample of water from -25 to 125 oC involves both the heat capacities of the
pure phases but also the enthalpies of the melting(fusion) and boiling(vaporization) of the
water.

The enthalpy of the melting reaction and the boiling reaction are both positive
(endothermic). {Melting is sometimes called fusion}

Phase Transitions take energy because of the breaking (or making) of

intermolecular 'bonds'.
Phase Transitions at a given temperature can reach equilibrium, i.e. steady state. If you put
any liquid in a sealed vessel and wait long enough, the liquid will come into equilibrium
with its vapor, and a constant (steady; dependent only of the temperature) equilibrium vapor
pressure will be established.
The equilibrium vapor pressure has an exponential temperature dependence for any given
substance. We can see this from the liquid/vapor equilibrium curve:

Why does the vapor pressure increase with temperature so dramatically? Because the
fraction of the molecules in the sample with sufficient energy to escape the shackles of their
intermolecular forces depends on the energy distribution that we have already seen in our
study of gases.

The liquid / vapor equilibrium curve follows a simple relation, because the amount of heat
needed to vaporize the gas (molecular stickiness) determines the vapor pressure. The
equation governing the pressure of a gas in equilibrium with a solid or a liquid can be
derived from the postulates of Thermodynamics and is a milestone in the fundamental
understanding of Phase Equilibria.
This relationship is called the Clausius-Clapeyron Equation (applicable to both liquid/gas or
solid/gas equilibrium curves) and has the form:

The Phase Diagram

Every substance can exist as a Solid, Liquid, or Gas, and so Solid / Gas and Solid / Liquid
and Liquid / Gas equilibria occur for all substances at some temperature and pressure.

The phase diagram is a plot of all the equilibrium curves between any two phases on a
pressure temperature diagram:
  The shape of the Phase Diagram is Different in details depending on the substances.
 There is only one place where all three phases of a pure substance are at equilibrium.
This is called the triple point [POINT A on the diagram]. (The aliens, when we meet
them, will know the pressure and temperature of the triple point of water, do you?)
 The liquid / vapor equilibrium curve ends at a temperature and pressure where gases
and liquids are indistinguishable fluids. This is called the critical point [POINT B on
the diagram] and therefore has a critical temperature and a critical pressure.
 At POINT C and POINT D on the diagram, two phases are in equilibrium and off the
line entirely there is only one stable phase of the substance.

Comparison of Phase diagrams of Familiar Substances; Water(a) and Dry Ice(b)

Liquids can be fleeting...

 Liquid water exists with its vapor at 1 atm pressure, but liquid CO2 only exists above
the pressure of 5.11 atm.
 In the lab (1 atm) we see that solid CO2 directly dissociates into gaseous CO2 without
making a liquid at all.
 Liquid CO2 is found in most CO2 fire extinguishers, but only at a temperature below
31.1 oC, (88 F), where the liquid becomes inditinguishible from the gas.
 Liquid water persists to much higher temperatures, over 300 oC, but only at great
pressure (100's of atm).
 Only water has a liquid / solid equibrium curve that has a negative slope, i.e. it melts
when you squeeze it. Water is unique in its highly structured liquid phase (which is
why life grows in water)

Part I

1. List the four states of matter:

_____________, ______________, _______________, _______________

2. Place the four main states of matter on the diagram below.

3. If a substance changes form one phase to another, is it still the same
substance? YES NO

Scroll up and click on the SOLID link on the left hand side.

4. One of the main characteristics of a solid is that they ___________________

____________________________________________________.

5. Are the atoms in a solid allowed to move around much? YES NO

6. In the box below, draw what the atoms in a solid look like.

Scroll back up and click on the LIQUID link on the left hand side

7. One characteristic of a liquid is that it fills ___________________________

_____________________________________________.

8. Atoms in a liquid have _________ energy than atoms in a solid, so the easiest

way to change a solid to a liquid is to add _________. When changing from a

solid to a liquid, there is a magic temperature for every substance called the
 ________________________________________.

9. To change a gas to a liquid, you will need to lower _____________________.

The ______________________________________ is the temperature when

the gas becomes a liquid.

10. Sometimes a liquid can be sitting there and its molecules will become a gas.

That’s called ___________________________________________.

Scroll back up and click on the GAS link on the left hand side.

11. Gases are really _____________________ and the atoms and molecules are

full of _______________________, bouncing around constantly.

12. One of the physical characteristics is that a gas can ____________________

__________________________________________.

Return to the States of Matter WebQuest. (keep clicking on the Back button)

Part II

1. Click on Gas

Describe what you see in the beaker. (the purple thing)

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Describe what you see in the chamber (the big round thing)
 ______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

What does the description say about the amount of space between gas
molecules?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

2. Click on Liquid.

Describe what you see in the beaker. (the purple thing)

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Describe what you see in the chamber (the big round thing)

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

What does the description say about the arrangement of the particles?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

3. Click on Solid

Describe what you see in the beaker. (the purple thing)

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Describe what you see in the chamber (the big round thing)

______________________________________________________________
 ______________________________________________________________

What does the description say about how the particles are arranged.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Return to the States of Matter WebQuest. (keep clicking on the Back button)

Part III

1. Particles in a:

gas are well _________________ with ______regular arrangement.

liquid are __________________________ with _______ regular arrangement.

solid are ______________________________, usually in a regular pattern.

2. Particles in a:

gas ________________ and move ______________ at high speeds.

 liquid _______________, move about, and ____________________________

solid __________________(jiggle) but generally do not __________________

__________________________________

3. ____________ and ____________ are often referred to as condensed

phases because the particles are ________________________________.

4. Use the chart to identify the state of matter described by the following. Many of
these have more than one answer! (Use S, L or G in the spaces.)

____ not easily compressible

____ rigid – particles locked into place
____ flows easily
____ compressible
____ lots of free space between particles
____ does not flow easily
____ assumes the shape of the part of the container which it occupies
____ particles can move past one another
____ retains a fixed volume and shape
____ assumes the shape and volume of its container
____ little free space between particles