GENCHEM REVIEWER
PROPERTIES OF MATTER
What is MATTER?
- It is anything that occupies space and has
mass.
There are 4 GENERAL PROPERTIES OF MATTER:
GENERAL PROPERTIES are the characteristics of
matter that are present to all kinds of matter.
1. MASS
- It is the amount of matter in an object.
- The more matter is present in an object, the
greater its mass is.
- It is usually expressed in grams or kilograms.
2. WEIGHT
- It is the measure of force that acts on an
object.
- It is expressed as the amount of matter (mass)
multiplied by the gravitational force that acts
on it.
- The greater the gravitational force that acts on
an object, the heavier its weight is.
REMEMBER! MASS AND WEIGHT ARE
INTERCHANGEABLE BUT THESE TWO ARE DIFFERENT
QUANTITIES. A COMMON EXAMPLE OF THIS IS THAT A
PERSON’S MASS REMAINS CONSTANT WHEN HE’S
ON EARTH and ON THE MOON. ON THE OTHER
HAND, A PERSON’S WEIGHT CHANGES WHEN HE’S
ON THE MOON.
3. VOLUME
- It is the amount of space occupied by matter.
- It can be measured using instruments with
graduations or by getting the dimensions of
the object.
- It is expressed in liters for liquids, or cubic
length (l3) for solids.
4. DENSITY
- It is the ratio between mass and volume.
- It tells how compact (closely and neatly
packed together) an object is
- An object with greater mass has more
compact particles than lighter ones.
- It is expressed in kilograms per cubic meter
(kg/m3) or grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm3)
PHYSICAL VS. CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF MATTER
-PHYSICAL PROPERTIES are qualities that are
readily observable or measurable without
changing the matter’s composition.
-CHEMICAL PROPERTIES are properties that
can only be seen when the chemical identity
of a material is altered.
THERE ARE 9 PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF MATTER
1. MELTING POINT
- It is the temperature at which a solid matter
changes to liquid.
- It varies according to its composition of
materials.
- Example: an ice cream melting
2. BOILING POINT
-it is the temperature at which liquid
evaporates or turns into gas.
-Example: formation of bubbles in a heated
liquid indicates that it is starting to boil.
3. FREEZING POINT
-It is the temperature at which liquid changes
to solid matter.
-Example: water freezing into a snowflake/ice
-
4. SOLUBILITY
-It is the ability of a solute to dissolve in a given
solvent.
-It also varies depending on an object’s
composition.
-It is considered a physical property as one can
tell whether a material is soluble or not by
merely observing its physical appearance.
-Example: A spoonful of sugar is soluble in
water
5. METALLIC PROPERTIES
There are 3 qualities observed in metals:
CONDUCTIVITY
-The ability of a material to allow heat or
electric charges to pass through easily.
-Materials can be THERMAL (HEAT) or
ELECTRICAL (ELECTRIC CHARGES) conductors.
-Example: copper wire and aluminum pot
MALLEABILITY
- It is the ability of a material to be flattened
into thin sheets.
- Example: cans
DUCTILITY
-It is the ability of a material to be easily drawn
into wires.
-Example: rings
6. SIZE
