In Chemistry, there are different chapters that needs good understanding. One of the chapters is, “States of Matter.” Before proceeding to the question as to what are the 7 different types of matter, it is important to get a clear idea about what is states of matter. So, let us learn it.
States of Matter
A substance that has mass and occupies space is called matter. In accordance to the modern physics, the matter has different types of particles, that has different mass and size.
We know that matter can exist in different states. By knowing the state with which a matter exists one can describe the properties of matter. This state is also called the phase of matter.
The thing which determines its state or phase is the amount of energy that is present in its molecules.
What determines the state of a substance or matter?
As discussed before that the amount of energy present in the molecules of matter determines their state. This means that it depends partly on temperature and air pressure.
In the case of water, at air pressure found at sea level, it can be seen that it exists as a liquid with temperatures ranging between 0℃-100℃.
When the temperature is above 100 ℃, it starts existing as gas or what we called as water vapor. When we are considering the temperate below 0℃, the water can be seen in solid-phase or ice.
Different substances or matters have various states with different ranges of temperatures and pressures in each state.
The given example above is just in the cases of solid, liquid, and gas. The other states of matter will be discussed thoroughly in this article in the coming sections.
Due to this reason different substances exist differently, some exist as solids at normal Earth temperatures, whereas others exist as gases or liquids. Each state of matter.
States of Matter
1. Solid
Matter in this state has a shape and volume that are well-defined. Examples of such solids are ice (solid form of water), a steel bar, dry ice is also example of solid (solid carbon dioxide). A solid is a state of matter that retains its shape and density when not confined.
2. Liquid
Liquids on the other hand have definite volumes without shape but they take the shape of the container in which they are stored. For examples water, oil, kerosene, soft drinks, etc.
3. Gas
Gases are different from both of the above where they neither have a definite volume nor a shape that is well-defined. Examples of such gases include air, oxygen, carbon dioxide, methane, helium, and so on.
4. Quark - Gluon Plasma
Quark–gluon plasma is a state of matter in which the elementary particles that make up the hadrons of baryonic matter are freed of their strong attraction for one another under extremely high energy densities.
5. Bose-Einstein condensate
A Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) is a state of matter that occurs when atoms or subatomic particles are cooled to near absolute zero. The particles, called bosons, are cooled to a temperature of -273.15 degrees Celsius, or -460 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Fermionic Condensate
A fermionic condensate is a superfluid phase that forms when fermionic particles come together at low temperatures. It's a state of matter where the electron gas forms a superfluid phase.
7. Ionized Plasma
Plasma does not have a definite shape nor a definite volume. Ionized gases are often seen in the plasma state. The electrical charges that are free can cause plasma to be conductive electrically. A plasma state can be formed by either heating or ionizing a gas.