atter has a countable mass, occupies space and has volume. The matter is usually of five types. However, only three are considered to be the prime types of matter.
These three types of matter are Solids, Liquids, and Gasses. These are divided as per the arrangement of particles in them. These are also termed states of matter.
Here’s a brief description of the three states of matter or types of matter.
1. First State of Matter- Solids
Solids: These are considered to be compounds that have compact structures. The particles are well packed and do not have much space between them. Thus solids have a definite shape and volume.
Solids are usually hard to touch and are strong compared to liquids and gasses. They are also rigid in nature, and strong intermolecular attraction forces are present between the particles.
They have a low level of thermal expansion compared to liquids and gasses.
Short Definition: Solids can be considered as the states of matter in which particles are closely packed. And they have a definite shape and volume, along with rigidity.
Characteristics:
Definite volume
Definite shape
Particles will be vibrating around some fixed axes
Examples: Ice, wood, iron, table salt, most metals, sugar, rocks, etc.
2. Second State of Matter- Liquids
Liquids are considered the second state or type of matter, and they are not as rigid as solids. They do not have a definite shape, but the volume is definite (it’s definite only if temperature and pressure are constant). So, how does a liquid exist without an actual shape?
Liquids take the shape of the container they are held in. This means liquids will have the same shape, size, and volume as that particular container, whatever the container it is.
Molecules are closely packed, but the intermolecular force of attraction is weaker than that of Solids. At the same time, this force is greater than that of gasses. Thus, the density of liquids is comparatively higher than gasses and lower than solids.
Short Definition: Liquids are fluids that take shape and volume of the container and are nearly incompressible in nature.
Characteristics:
No definite shape and takes the shape of the container
Has a definite volume, but only till the temperature and pressure are constant
Particles are freely moving, and at the same time, they have some attractive forces between them
Almost non-compressible in nature
Examples: Water, oil, hydrochloric acid, urine, blood, milk, wine, petrol, diesel, etc.
3. Third State of Matter- Gasses
Gasses are the states of matter that have no shape and structure. They are very freely moving in nature, and the intermolecular forces are almost negligible.
Gasses do not have a specific shape, and they are just like liquids in taking the shape of the container and can expand until they fill the container.
As they are free to move, their motion is always unpredictable, and the kinetic energy of these molecules is pretty high.
Gasses are also considered to be fluids but are compressible in nature. And the thermal expansion of gasses is much higher than that of solids and liquids.
Short Definition: Gasses are the type of matter that is very free moving and does not have a shape or volume. And the intermolecular forces are significantly less or completely zero in them.
Characteristics:
They do not have a definite shape and take the shape of the container the same as that of liquids
They also don’t have a definite volume
Particles move in a very random fashion and will be hitting each other
They are easily compressible
Examples: Oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen, all the Noble gasses, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, etc.
Solids v/s Liquids v/s Gasses
The below table shows the difference between three states of matter (solids, liquids, and gasses).
Characters | Solids | Liquids | Gasses |
Shape | Definite shape | Not definite shape, but takes the shape of the container | No definite shape, but takes the shape of the container |
Volume | Definite volume | Definite volume, till the temperature and pressure are constant | No definite volume, but will fill the whole container to take up the volume |
Intermolecular Forces | Strong | Weaker than Solids, but stronger than Gasses | The intermolecular forces are almost negligible |
Distance Between Particles | Very less distance | Longer than Solids, but shorter than Gasses | The distance is pretty much higher |
Thermal Expansion | Low | Medium | High |
Compressibility | Non compressible | Almost non compressible | High |
Kinetic Energy | Low | Moderate | High |
Rigidity | Yes | No | No |
Hardness | Yes | No | No |
Daily Life Examples | Wood, metals, ice | Oil, water, blood | Oxygen, hydrogen |
Here’s a pictorial representation of the arrangement of molecules in Solids, Liquids, and Gases.
Apart from these three states of matter, there is another fundamental state of matter called Plasma. Plasma’s heat is so intense that the electrons are torn from the atoms, resulting in an ionized gas. It accounts for more than 99 percent of the visible universe.
Apart from these four fundamental states of matter, the fifth state of matter is Bose-Einstein condensate. This is an artificial state of matter where the particles of the matter stop behaving as an independent.
Summarizing
Solids: Solids can be considered as the states of matter in which particles are closely packed. And they have a definite shape and volume, along with rigidity.
Liquids: Liquids are the fluids that take the shape and volume of the container and are nearly incompressible in nature.
Gasses: Gasses are the type of matter that is very free moving and does not have a shape or volume. And the intermolecular forces are significantly less or completely zero in them.
Conclusion
Even though there are five types of matter; solids, liquids, and gasses are the three states of matter which we often come across in our day-to-day life. And we have tried to place all the possible basic information about these three types of matter. Hope that this post helped you learn about the types of matter and their characteristics.