The Chemistry Book

There are six phases or states of matter but students in high school chemistry only need to focus on solids, liquids, gases, and plasma.^[1] Four states of matter are thermal whereas Bose-Einstein and filament are theoretical. Liquids and solids are often referred to as condensed phases because the particles are very close together. Gases, in contrast, do not behave as condensed phases and are studied separately. Adding energy to the solid phase, the substance goes through a phase change.

The three physical states of matter are interchangeable. Each change is denoted by a characteristic term. ^[2]

• Solid → Liquid Melting
• Liquid → Solid Freezing
• Liquid → Gas Vaporization Evaporation
• Gas → Liquid Condensation
• Solid → Gas Sublimation
• Gas → Solid Deposition

Solids

Particles in a solid are tightly packed, usually in a regular pattern.

Particles in a solid vibrate (jiggle) but generally do not move from place to place.

Example

Water can take the form of a solid, which can be an ice cube or glacier.

Liquids

Particles in a liquid are close together with no regular arrangement.

Particles in a liquid vibrate, move about, and slide past each other.

Example

Water, apple juice, chocolate milk, etc. are liquids.

Gases

Gases are one of three basic forms of matter, in which the molecules are in constant random motion. ^[3] In fact, the relatively large distance between molecules suggest intermolecular forces have little influence on the motion of the molecules.

1. Particles in a gas are well separated with no regular arrangement.
2. Particles in a gas vibrate and move freely at high speeds.

Example

Water can take the form of a gas called steam. Another example is the air you breathe, which includes oxygen.

References