Changing States of Matter - Solid, Liquid And Gas

In this article we are going to learn about changing states of matter, Transformation between solid, liquid, gas and many more.
Can Matter Change Its Shape
The answer is definitely 'Yes.'
It has the ability to modify its shape, size, and volume.
You've probably noticed how ice cubes melt from solid to liquid water or how water boils into vapour, but have you ever wondered why objects change form?

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When matter loses or absorbs energy, its condition changes.

When a substance absorbs energy, its atoms and molecules travel faster, and the extra kinetic energy pushes particles far enough to change form.

Typically, this energy is heat or thermal energy.

Let us look at the science behind the changing states of matter in this article.

Define Changes of State?

Change in state of matter is the change in the physical properties.

These variations do not require any chemical changes.

Deposition sublimation condensation evaporation melting, freezing, and vaporisation are the examples of change in states.

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Why Do Phase Changes Happen?

When the temperature or pressure of a system varies, phase changes occur.

When the temperature or pressure rises, so does the interaction between the molecules.

Similarly, as the temperature drops, it becomes easier for molecules and atoms to form a more rigid structure.

Transitions Between Liquids and Solids

Freezing

Heat transmission happens between the warmer tray and the freezer's colder air.

The heat from the heated water is lost to the cold air in the freezer.

This heat transfer continues until there is no more energy available for the particles to move past each other.

This forces them to remain in fixed locations, held together by the force of attraction.

This method converts liquid water into solid ice.

The transformation of liquid to solid is called Freezing.

The freezing point is the temperature at which it happens.

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Melting

solid to liquid examples

If you pulled the ice cubes out of the freezer and placed them in a warm area, the ice would absorb energy from the warmer air.

This absorbed energy would help them overcome the force of attraction that was holding them together, allowing them to slip out of the frozen posture they were in.

The transformation of solid to liquid is called Melting.

Temperature at which both solid and liquid are in equilibrium is called the melting point of a solid.

Liquid-to-Gas Transition/Water gas state transition

This process can be explained using the experiment:

Water gets heated up when the pot is filled with cold water and heated.

The heat energy is absorbed by the water.

Vaporization

This occurs when liquid water particles have enough energy to totally overcome the force of attraction between them and transition to the gaseous form.

The Transformation of liquid to vapor/liquid to gas is vaporization. This is also called boiling.

The boiling point of a liquid is the temperature at which it begins to boil.

Condensation

The process by which water vapor is transformed to liquid is called condensation.

When hot water comes in contact with cooler surfaces, it cools and loses energy and it evaporates and cooler water loses energy to overcome the attractive forces.

They combine to produce droplets of liquid water.

So, transformation of gas to liquid is called Condensation.

Transitions between Solids and Gases

When transformation from Solid to gas occurs then solid must first pass through the liquid stage.

However, solids can sometimes transition straight to gases without passing through the liquid state.

The opposite can also happen.

Gases can sometimes convert directly to solids.

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Sublimation

It is a solid to gas process.

The Transformation of solid to gas is called sublimation.

When solids absorb enough energy to entirely overcome the forces of attraction between them, this happens.

Dry ice is an example of a solid that sublimates.

All these can be observed in the change of state experiments.

Conclusion
Every item in existence undergoes a state transition, which may be of interest to you.

It is simply a matter of how much heat is applied to the substance.

Everything on our planet can be manipulated to change its state if enough heat is applied.

The truth is, not every substance has to go through the solid-liquid-gas cycle.

Some compounds can naturally transition from a solid to a gaseous state without entering the liquid state.

Sublimation is the name given to this phenomenon.

Sublimation occurs in the elements iodine, dry ice (solid CO2), and high-quality coal, which burns and sublimates into vapour at high temperatures.

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