Matter & Mixtures
Chemistry · पदार्थ और मिश्रण
📋Quick Overview
Matter is anything that has mass and occupies space. It exists in five states: Solid, Liquid, Gas, Plasma, and Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC). Matter can be classified as pure substances (elements and compounds) or mixtures (homogeneous and heterogeneous). Understanding the differences between physical and chemical changes, and separation techniques, is crucial for competitive exams.
📖States of Matter
| State | Shape | Volume | Particle Arrangement | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid | Fixed | Fixed | Tightly packed, vibrate in place | Ice, Iron, Wood |
| Liquid | Not fixed (takes container shape) | Fixed | Close but can slide over each other | Water, Milk, Oil |
| Gas | Not fixed | Not fixed | Far apart, move freely | Oxygen, CO₂, Steam |
| Plasma | Not fixed | Not fixed | Ionized gas (super-heated) | Sun, Stars, Lightning, Neon signs |
| BEC | Not fixed | Not fixed | Super-cooled atoms act as single entity | Created at near absolute zero (-273°C) |
⭐
Plasma is the MOST ABUNDANT state of matter in the universe (stars are plasma). BEC was first created by S.N. Bose (India) & Einstein's theory in 1995.
📖Physical vs Chemical Change
📖Element, Compound & Mixture
| Property | Element | Compound | Mixture |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made of | One type of atom | Two or more elements chemically bonded | Two or more substances physically mixed |
| Separation | Cannot be broken by chemical means | Broken by chemical reaction | Separated by physical methods |
| Fixed ratio | N/A | Yes, fixed ratio (law of constant proportion) | No fixed ratio |
| Example | Gold (Au), Oxygen (O₂), Iron (Fe) | Water (H₂O), NaCl, CO₂ | Air, salt water, sand+iron filings |
📖Solution, Suspension & Colloid
| Property | Solution (True) | Colloid | Suspension |
|---|---|---|---|
| Particle size | < 1 nm | 1–1000 nm | > 1000 nm |
| Appearance | Transparent | Translucent/Opaque | Opaque |
| Tyndall Effect | No | Yes (scatters light) | Yes |
| Settles down? | No | No | Yes (settles on standing) |
| Filterable? | No | No (passes through filter) | Yes (can be filtered) |
| Homogeneous? | Yes | Appears homogeneous | Heterogeneous |
| Examples | Sugar+water, Salt+water | Milk, Fog, Smoke, Blood, Ink, Butter | Muddy water, Chalk+water, Sand+water |
⭐
Tyndall Effect: When light scatters as it passes through a colloid. Example: Light beam visible through fog or smoke. Named after John Tyndall.
📖Separation Techniques
| Technique | Used For | Principle | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filtration | Solid from liquid | Size difference (filter traps solid) | Sand from water |
| Evaporation | Dissolved solid from liquid | Liquid evaporates, solid remains | Salt from sea water |
| Distillation | Liquid from liquid (different BP) | Difference in boiling points | Water from salt water, Alcohol from water |
| Fractional Distillation | Mixture of liquids with close BP | Repeated distillation in fractionating column | Petroleum refining, Liquefied air separation |
| Chromatography | Coloured substances / dyes | Different rates of absorption | Separating dyes, ink colours |
| Sublimation | Sublime substance from non-sublime | Solid directly to gas (no liquid stage) | Camphor, Naphthalene, Ammonium chloride |
| Magnetic Separation | Magnetic from non-magnetic | Magnet attracts magnetic substance | Iron filings from sand/sulphur |
| Centrifugation | Heavier particles from lighter | Spinning at high speed | Cream from milk, Blood components |