CHEMISTRY MATTER IN OUR SURROUNDINGS

Matter in Our Surroundings

1. Anything that occupies space and has mass is known as matter.
2. Matter is not continuous; it consists of a large number of particles called atoms or molecules.
3. Evidence for particles of matter: The evidence for existence of particles of matter comes from the
experiments on diffusion and Brownian motion.
4. Characteristics of particles of matter
Particles of matter
i. Are very small in size
ii. Have spaces between them
iii. Are continuously moving
iv. Attract each other
5. Matter exists in three physical states: Solids, Liquids and Gases.
6. Solids: They have definite shape, distinct boundaries and fixed volume. They cannot be compressed
and do not fill their container completely. Examples: Ice, wood, table, brick, stone etc.

7. Liquids: They have fixed volume but no fixed shape. They cannot be compressed much and do not fill
their container completely. Examples: Water, milk, petrol, ink, juice etc.

8. Gases: They neither have fixed shape nor volume. They take the shape of their container. They can be
compressed easily and fill their container completely. Examples: Air, oxygen, carbon dioxide, steam
etc.

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CHEMISTRY MATTER IN OUR SURROUNDINGS

9. Common unit of temperature: Degree Celsius (C).

10. SI unit of temperature: Kelvin (K)
11. Relation between Kelvin scale and Celsius scale: T (K) = T (C) + 273
12. Change of state of matter: The physical state of matter can be changed in two ways: 1. by changing
the temperature; 2. by changing the pressure.
13. Effect of change of temperature
i. Melting: The process in which a solid change into a liquid by absorbing heat at constant
temperature is called fusion or melting.
ii. The temperature at which a solid melts to become a liquid at the atmospheric pressure is called
melting point.
iii. The hidden heat which breaks the force of attraction between the molecules during change of state
is called latent heat.
iv. Latent heat of fusion is the amount of heat energy required to change 1 kg of solid into liquid at its
melting point.
v. Vaporisation: The process in which a liquid changes into a gas rapidly on heating is called boiling or
vaporisation.
vi. The temperature at which a liquid starts boiling at the atmospheric pressure is known as boiling
point.
vii. Latent heat of vaporisation is the heat energy required to change 1 kg of liquid to gas at atmospheric
pressure at its boiling point.
viii. Condensation: The process of changing a gas to a liquid by cooling is called condensation.
ix. Freezing: The process of changing a liquid into a solid by cooling is called freezing. It means
solidification.
x. The temperature at which a liquid changes to solid by giving out heat at atmospheric pressure is
called freezing point.
xi. Sublimation: The process of changing of a solid directly into vapours on heating and of vapours into
solid on cooling is called sublimation.

14. Effect of change of pressure

i. Gases can be liquefied by applying high pressure and lowering temperature.
ii. Solid carbon dioxide is converted into carbon dioxide gas by decreasing pressure.

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15. Evaporation: The phenomenon of change of a liquid into its gaseous state at any temperature below
its boiling point is known as evaporation.
16. It takes place only at the surface of the liquid and is hence a surface phenomenon.
17. The rate of evaporation is affected by the following factors:
i. Temperature: The rate of evaporation increases with an increase in temperature.
ii. Surface area: The rate of evaporation increases with an increase in surface area.
iii. Humidity: The amount of water vapour present in the air is called humidity. The rate of evaporation
decreases with an increase in humidity.
iv. Wind speed: Evaporation increases with an increase in wind speed.
18. The process of evaporation of water from the aerial parts of plants, especially leaves, is known as
transpiration.
19. Cooling caused by evaporation
When a liquid evaporates, it draws (or takes) the latent heat of vaporisation from 'anything' which it
touches. By losing heat, this 'anything' gets cooled.
Examples: Perspiration, appearance of water droplets on the outer surface of a glass containing icecold water etc.
20. Two more states of matter: Plasma and BoseEinstein Condensate
i. Plasma is a mixture of free electrons and ions.
ii. BoseEinstein Condensate (BEC) is formed by cooling a gas of extremely low density, about one
hundred thousandth the density of normal air, to super low temperatures.

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