Matter

Matter is made up of tiny and discrete particles. These particles can be atoms,
molecules or ions. So, matter has mass and occupies space. An atom is the smallest
particle of an element that can participate in a chemical reaction. Metals, noble gases
and some non-metals exist as atoms.
Matter exist in three physical states, solid, liquid and gas.

Experiment
Diffusion of bromine gas.

‘A drop of oil spreads out on the surface of the water’.

What does this statement tells you about matter?

The Kinetic Theory of Matter

Kinetic theory of matter states that

a) Matter is made up of tiny and discrete particles, which are constantly moving
and possess kinetic energy.
b) There are spaces between particles.
c) The kinetic energy of a particle changes with temperature. The higher the
temperature, the faster the particles move.
d) At a fixed temperature, lighter particles move faster than the heavier
particles.
 Experiment
The movement of ammonia gas, NH3 and hydrogen chloride gas, HCl.

The result shows that the ammonia gas and hydrogen chloride gas combined and
formed a white solid which is ammonium chloride, NH4Cl near the end with hydrogen
chloride. Ammonia molecules move faster than hydrogen chloride molecules
because the relative molecular mass of ammonia is less than the relative molecular
mass of hydrogen chloride.

The Change of The State of Matter

The change in the state of matter is caused by heating and cooling.

When a solid is heated, the particles in the solid gain kinetic energy and
vibrate more vigorously. The particles vibrate faster as the temperature
increases until the energy they gain is able to overcome the forces that
hold them at their fixed positions. At this point, the solid becomes a
liquid. The process is called melting. The temperature at which this
happens is called the melting point.

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When a liquid is cooled, the particles in the liquid lose energy and move
slower. As the temperature continues to drop, the particles continue to
lose energy until they do not have enough energy to move freely. At this
point, the liquid changes into a solid. This process is called freezing. The
temperature at which this happens is called the freezing point.

Subatomic Particles of An Atom

An atom is made up of protons, neutrons and electrons. Protons and

neutrons are found in the nucleus of an atom while electrons surround
the nucleus. As the mass of protons and neutrons are greater than
electrons, most of the mass of an atom is concentrated in the nucleus.

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Protons are positively charged. Electrons are negatively charged. An
atom consist of an equal number of electrons and protons. Hence, an
atom is electrically neutral.

Protons, neutrons and electrons are called subatomic particles. The

number of protons in an atom is called the proton number of an element.
Example a fluorine atom has 9 protons. The proton number from fluorine
element is 9.

The total number of protons and neutrons in an atom is called the

nucleon number of an element. Nucleon number is also known as the
mass number. Example a fluorine atom has 9 protons and 10 neutrons.
The nucleon number of fluorine is 19.

Isotopes and Their Importance

Isotopes are atoms of the same element with different number of

neutrons.

Isotopes Number of Number of Number of

Proton Electron Neutron
16
8
O

4
O