An Ultimate Guide on the Three States of matter

Every substance we see in our daily life or observe is made up of matter. The matter is composed of very minute particles which cannot be seen by our naked eyes. Generally, in nature, there are three states of matter. The three states are solid, liquid and gas. Each state is defined by different intermolecular forces and the arrangement of its particles. The interchange between the state of matter is possible by changing some environmental factors. Thus, bringing change in their physical properties.

Apart from these three states of matter, there are some more states present such as plasma, Bose-Einstein condensates, etc. Everyday objects which we see and use are made up of these three states of matter: solid, liquid and gas. 

Matter

Solids are defined as the type of matter which has a secured shape and fixed volume and has a rigid structure composition. 

Liquid is defined as the substance which shows fluidity and acquires the shape of the vessel in which it is kept. Liquids have fixed volume. 

Gases have no shape and no volume. It acquires the shape of the vessel in which it is kept. 

These three states of matter are considered the classical states of matter, which are easily interconvertible. A common example of this phenomenon is the conversion of ice to water, which is an example of the conversion of solid to liquid, and then to water vapour which is gas.

General properties of solid, liquid and gas

Solids:

• Solids can be differentiated from the other states of matter through their characteristic rigidity feature.
• Solids have strong intermolecular forces as their molecules are tightly packed, and they can only oscillate about their mean locale.
• Solids have a determined shape and fixed volume. 
• They have minimal compressibility and undergo minimal thermal expansion.

Liquids:

• Liquids have weak intermolecular forces as their molecules are closely packed.
• Liquids have their position designated in between solids and gases as they have weaker forces compared to the solids but stronger forces than the gases. 
• Liquids have a determined volume but no fixed shape. They acquire the shape of the vessel in which they are kept.
• Liquids can experience more compressibility and thermal expansion compared to solids.

Gases:

• Gases have the weakest intermolecular force as their molecules do not have any molecular force of attraction. Their molecules lie in the range of m to m distance.
• Gases have neither any definite shape nor volume.
• They show translatory, rotatory and vibratory motions most prominently.
• They experience high compressibility and thermal expansions.

Conversion

These three states of matter: solid, liquid and gas, can be converted from one state to the other state. There are different processes for conversions. Converting any solid to a subsequent liquid state is known as melting whereas the reverse conversion of this process is known as freezing. During this process, latent heat plays a huge role. This particular process happens mostly at a constant temperature known as point, such as melting takes place at melting point. 

The conversion from liquid to gas is known as vaporization and the conversion from gas to liquid is known as condensation. Solids can also be converted directly to gas, by skipping the liquid stage by the process known as sublimation. The reverse process for sublimation is called deposition.

Examples of Three States of Matter

Some common examples of solids are wood, ice, metals, paper etc. For liquids, examples are water, milk, juices etc. Examples of gases can be oxygen, hydrogen, helium etc. 

For the conversion processes, many examples can be seen in our daily life. Among them, the most common example is the conversion of ice to water and then water to water vapour. Ice is converted to water as a melting process and then water is boiled and forms water vapour through the process of vaporization. An example of sublimation is camphor. 

Conclusion

Matter can be anything that has a definite mass volume and occupies some space. From the very beginning, matters have been classified into three categories: solids, liquids and gases. Solids are rigid structures with a strong force of attraction between their molecules. They also have a definite shape. Liquids have been defined by their characteristic feature of fluidity, which can easily gain the shape of the utensil in which they have been kept. Gases have a very negligible force of attraction between their molecules and have a long-distance range between their molecules. They can also gain any shape, just like liquids, and this causes the weakest force of attraction between their molecules.