Question

How do solid, liquid, and gas relate to chemistry?

250 or more words please.

Answer 1

Solids, liquids and gases have definite characteristics. A solid has a definite shape and volume. Liquids and solids are much more dense than gases. Solids maintain their shape without the container. Liquids also conform the shape with the help of the container. Gases expand to fill the available space and must be kept in an enclosed space. Macroscopic matter can exist in three stable forms, or phases that are solid, liquid and gas.

solids

Solid molecules are tightly packed to each other, and they are also packed close together. The molecules in a solid have a greater attraction to each other than do those in liquid or a gas. Solids have definite size, shape, hardness, texture and color. All of these properties are used to describe the solids. Solids have a certain boiling point, melting point and density. Most of the physical properties of solids are easy to identify and describe. These properties are used to identify the solid.

Solids are classified according to the types of particles making the arrangement of solid particles and the strength of bonding interactions among them. The different types of solids are listed below.

liquids

The properties of liquids are easy to observe and describe. The attractive and repulsive force between the particles in a liquid is comparatively less than solids. These forces are inversely related to the distance between the particles. In liquid particles are very close to one another and the inter molecular attractions in a liquid are strong enough to affect its physical properties. Liquid particles are touchingly close to one another. Since the strong force between liquid particles hold them together, the volume of liquid is constant. The given number of liquid particles will occupy a much smaller volume than the same number of particles as others.

At the boiling point of liquid particles the force of attraction that holds the particles is overcome and liquid particles start transferring to gaseous particles. But if the stick togetherness is high, then it takes more motion to separate the particles within the liquid, where boiling occurs. The flow of liquid depends on the viscosity of the liquid. For example, water flows more easily than syrup and syrup flows more readily than honey. It is the internal resistance based on inter molecular attraction measures the viscosity of the liquid.

gases

Gases have different set of properties that is totally different from solids and liquids. Gases do not have definite shapes. The force of attraction between molecules is very negligible in the case of gases as compared to solids and liquids. The distance between the molecule is much larger when compared to the atomic distance in solids and liquids. Molecules of gases move in straight lines and undergo random collisions with other molecules and occupy the complete space available in the container unlike solids and liquids.

• Gases have high compressibility, the volume of given mass can be easily compressed by increasing the pressure.
• Unlike solids and liquids, gases exert pressure in all directions. The exert pressure is equal and uniform on the walls of the container.
• Gases possess low density, the inter molecular distance between the molecules of gases very large and hence the number of a gas is much lower compared to solids and liquids.
• The space between the molecules of gases is very large because of the inter molecular distance between the gas molecules is large. So gases diffuse readily.