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4: Phases and Classification of Matter

  • Page ID
    95935
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    • 4.1: Introduction and Learning Objectives
    • 4.2: Classification and Properties of Matter
      The properties that chemists use to describe matter fall into two general categories. Physical properties are characteristics that describe matter. They include characteristics such as size, shape, color, and mass. Chemical properties are characteristics that describe how matter changes its chemical structure or composition. An example of a chemical property is flammability—a material’s ability to burn—because burning (also known as combustion) changes the chemical composition of a material.
    • 4.3: Pure Substances and Mixtures
    • 4.4: Separating Mixtures through Physcial Changes
      Physical changes can be used to purify a mixture into the pure substances which compose it.
    • 4.5: Colligative Properties
      Properties of a solution that depend only on the concentration of solute particles are called colligative properties. They include changes in the vapor pressure, boiling point, and freezing point of the solvent in the solution. The magnitudes of these properties depend only on the total concentration of solute particles in solution, not on the type of particles. The total concentration of solute particles in a solution also determines its osmotic pressure.
    • 4.6: Phase Transitions
      Phase transitions occur when energy is gained or released by a material, resulting in either more or less order arrangements of molecules.
    • 4.7: Phase Transitions
      Phase transitions are processes that convert matter from one physical state into another. There are six phase transitions between the three phases of matter. Melting, vaporization, and sublimation are all endothermic processes, requiring an input of heat to overcome intermolecular attractions. The reciprocal transitions of freezing, condensation, and deposition are all exothermic processes, involving heat as intermolecular attractive forces are established or strengthened.
    • 4.8: Colloids
      Colloids are mixtures in which one or more substances are dispersed as relatively large solid particles or liquid droplets throughout a solid, liquid, or gaseous medium. The particles of a colloid remain dispersed and do not settle due to gravity, and they are often electrically charged. Colloids are widespread in nature and are involved in many technological applications.
    • 4.9: Intermolecular Forces
      Molecules in liquids are held to other molecules by intermolecular interactions, which are weaker than the intramolecular interactions that hold molecules and polyatomic ions together. The three major types of intermolecular interactions are dipole–dipole interactions, London dispersion forces (these two are often referred to collectively as van der Waals forces), and hydrogen bonds.
    • 4.10: Exercises
      These are homework exercises to accompany the Textmap created for "Chemistry" by OpenStax.
    • 4.11: Exercises
      These are homework exercises to accompany the Textmap created for "Chemistry" by OpenStax. Complementary General Chemistry question banks can be found for other Textmaps and can be accessed here. In addition to these publicly available questions, access to private problems bank for use in exams and homework is available to faculty only on an individual basis; please contact Delmar Larsen for an account with access permission.
    • 4.12: End of Chapter Activity
    • 4.13: End of Chapter Key Terms


    4: Phases and Classification of Matter is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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