Fatema Hossam

Sama Hesham
Dalia Yasser
(Prep 1B Red)
Matter and its special properties

Anything that “takes up space” is called matter. Air, water, rocks, and even people are
examples of matter. Different types of matter can be described by their mass. The mass of an
object is the amount of material that makes up the object. A bowling ball, for example, has
more mass than a beach ball.

The Forms of Matter

Matter exists in several different forms, called states. The three most familiar states are
solid, liquid, and gas.

Rocks, books, desks, and balls are examples of solids. Matter in the solid state has a
definite volume and shape. For example, moving a book from place to another does not change
the shape, the volume or the mass of the book. Milk, orange juice, and water are examples of
liquid. In the liquid state, matter has a definite volume and an indefinite shape, as its shape
depends on its container. For example, milk changes shape when a person pours it from a carton
into a glass. But the amount of milk stays the same. The air and the helium used to fill balloons
are examples of gases. Matter in the gaseous state does not have either a definite volume or a
definite shape. It can expand to fill a large container, or it can be squeezed into a smaller
container.

The Change of Matter from one state to another:

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 This happens when a substance is cooled or heated to a particular point. For example,
heat causes liquid water to evaporate, or turn into water vapor—a gas. The temperature at which
a liquid turns into a gas is called its boiling point. This is when the speed of the molecules
increase, so the intermolecular forces are weakened and the intermolecular spaces increase and
it escapes in the form of vapor. The water vapor will change back into liquid when cooled. If it
is cooled enough, water will freeze and become a solid. The temperature at which a liquid
becomes a solid is called its freezing point. As for the melting point which causes a solid to
become a liquid, in contrast to the solid case, it is when the speed of the molecules increase, so
the intermolecular forces are weakened and the intermolecular spaces increase and it becomes
more freely leading to that change. For example, liquid water turns to a solid form—ice—when
it is cooled to (0 °C). The melting point for ice is the same temperature. Different types of
matter have different boiling, melting, and freezing points.

Physical Properties of Matter:

All matter has physical properties. A physical property is one that a person can measure without
changing the matter. Color, amount, density, and temperature are examples of physical
properties. One of the most important properties is density. Density can be better explained by
using the following example. Two identical boxes in size and in shape are both filled with
objects. One is stuffed with cotton balls, and the other is filled with marbles. The box
containing marbles is heavier and denser than the box full of cotton balls. The contents of the
denser box are closely arranged together compared to the contents of the other, which has lots
of air in between.

Chemical Properties of Matter:

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 All matter also has chemical properties. A chemical property tells how matter will change
under special conditions. For example, certain metals turn to rust if they sit out in the rain, i.e.
less active metals such as copper and aluminum react with Oxygen when they are left in air for
some days, whereas very active metals react immediately with Oxygen if they are exposed to
humid air losing their metallic luster like Sodium and Potassium. Paper and wood burn to ashes
if they touch a flame. Burning and rusting are called chemical reactions. Chemical reactions
change matter into new types of matter. Finally, inactive metals difficultly react with Oxygen
like Gold.

Real Life Applications:

Knowing the right chemical properties of matter will help you choose the right material for
what you want to do. If you are going on a canoe trip and want to take along some cold sodas,
taking a Styrofoam cooler would be a good choice of materials. Styrofoam is not dissolved by
water and is a good insulator. However, if you wanted to store some acetone for a science project, a
Styrofoam container would not be a good choice. Acetone easily dissolves Styrofoam, meaning it
would melt through.

References:

1. https://www.dkfindout.com/us/science/solids-liquids-and-gases/what-is-matter/
2. https://sciencing.com/acetone-styrofoam-experiment-2768.html

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