CHAPTER III.

MATTER AND ENERGY

I. LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
After the completion of the unit, students will be able to:
1. Identify and classify the phases and changes of matter in a chemical system.

2. Describe the physical and chemical properties of matter.

3. Cite evidences of chemical changes.

4. Solve problems on laws governing chemical changes

5. Define energy.

6. Identify the different forms of energy.

II. READINESS ACTIVITY:

Let the students reflect on the following:
1. How is matter defined as a chemistry concept?
2. What are the classifications of matter?
3. What is energy and its different forms?

III. LESSON CONTENT

Key terms
● Matter – anything that occupies space and has mass
● Mass - the quantity of matter an object contains (g)
● Weight – force caused by gravitational attraction that operates on the object
● Volume - how much space an object or substance takes up (m3, L, mL)
● Atom - the smallest neutral particle of an element that can exist either alone or in
combination
● Molecules - neutral particles made of two or more atoms bonded together

Matter

Matter is any substance that has mass and volume (takes up space). While this simple
definition is easily applied, the way people view matter is often broken down into two
characteristic length scales: the macroscopic and the microscopic. Matter includes atoms
and anything made up of atoms, but not other energy phenomena or waves such as light or
sound. Gold and iridium are matter, as are peanuts, people, and postage stamps. Smoke,
smog, and laughing gas are matter. Energy, light, and sound, however, are not matter;
ideas and emotions are also not matter. The most important method that nature uses to
organize atoms into matter is the formation of molecules.

Phases of Matter

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The three states of matter are the three distinct physical forms that matter can take in most
environments: solid, liquid, and gas. In extreme environments, other states may be
present, such as plasma, Bose-Einstein condensates, and neutron stars. Further states,
such as quark-gluon plasmas, are also believed to be possible. Much of the atomic matter
of the universe is hot plasma in the form of rarefied interstellar medium and dense stars.

Historically, the states of matter were distinguished based on qualitative differences in their
bulk properties. Solid is the state in which matter maintains a fixed volume and shape;
liquid is the state in which matter adapts to the shape of its container but varies only
slightly in volume; and gas is the state in which matter expands to occupy the volume and
shape of its container. Each of these three classical states of matter can transition directly
into either of the other two classical states.

Solids. In the solid state, the individual particles of a substance are in fixed
positions with respect to each other because there is not enough thermal energy to
overcome the intermolecular interactions between the particles. As a result, solids
have a definite shape and volume. Most solids are hard, but some (like waxes) are
relatively soft. Many solids composed of ions can also be quite brittle.
Solids are defined by the following characteristics:
● Definite shape (rigid)
● Definite volume
● Particles vibrate around fixed axes
Solids usually have their constituent particles arranged in a regular, three-
dimensional array of alternating positive and negative ions called a crystal. Some
solids, especially those composed of large molecules, cannot easily organize their
particles in such regular crystals and exist as amorphous (literally, “without form”)
solids.

Liquids. If the particles of a substance have enough energy to partially overcome

intermolecular interactions, then the particles can move about each other while
remaining in contact. This describes the liquid state. In a liquid, the particles are still
in close contact, so liquids have a definite volume. However, because the particles

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can move about each other rather freely, a liquid has no definite shape and takes a
shape dictated by its container.
Liquids have the following characteristics:
● No definite shape (takes the shape of its container).
● Has definite volume.
● Particles are free to move over each other but are still attracted to each
other.

Gas. If the particles of a substance have enough energy to completely overcome

intermolecular interactions, then the particles can separate from each other and
move about randomly in space. This describes the gas state, which we will consider
in more detail elsewhere. Like liquids, gases have no definite shape, but unlike
solids and liquids, gases have no definite volume either. The change from solid to
liquid usually does not significantly change the volume of a substance. However, the
change from a liquid to a gas significantly increases the volume of a substance, by a
factor of 1,000 or more.
Gases have the following characteristics:
● No definite shape (takes the shape of its container)
● No definite volume
● Particles move in random motion with little or no attraction to each other
● Highly compressible

Classification of Matter

Matter can be broken down into two categories: pure substances and mixtures. Pure
substances are further broken down into elements and compounds. Mixtures are physically
combined structures that can be separated into their original components.
A chemical substance is a form of matter that has constant chemical composition and
characteristic properties. It cannot be separated into components without breaking chemical
bonds. Chemical substances can be solids, liquids, gases, or plasma. Changes in
temperature or pressure can cause substances to shift between the different phases of
matter. Chemical substances are often called ‘pure’ to set them apart from mixtures. 

An element is a chemical substance that is made up of a particular kind of atom and hence
cannot be broken down or transformed by a chemical reaction into a different element. All
atoms of an element have the same number of protons, though they may have different
numbers of neutrons and electrons.

A pure chemical compound is a chemical substance that is composed of a particular set of

molecules or ions that are chemically bonded. Two or more elements combined into one
substance through a chemical reaction, such as water, form a chemical compound. All
compounds are substances, but not all substances are compounds. A chemical compound
can be either atoms bonded together in molecules or crystals in which atoms, molecules or
ions form a crystalline lattice. Compounds made primarily of carbon and hydrogen atoms

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are called organic compounds, and all others are called inorganic compounds.
Compounds containing bonds between carbon and a metal are called organometallic
compounds.

A mixture is a material system made up of two or more different substances, which are
mixed but not combined chemically. A mixture refers to the physical combination of two or
more substances in which the identities of the individual substances are retained. Mixtures
take the form of alloys, solutions, suspensions, and colloids. A heterogeneous mixture is a
mixture of two or more chemical substances (elements or compounds), where the different
components can be visually distinguished and easily separated by physical means. A
homogeneous mixture is a mixture of two or more chemical substances (elements or
compounds), where the different components cannot be visually distinguished. The
composition of homogeneous mixtures is constant. Often separating the components of a
homogeneous mixture is more challenging than separating the components of a
heterogeneous mixture.

Properties of Matter

All properties of matter are either extensive or intensive and either physical or chemical.
Extensive properties, such as mass and volume, depend on the amount of matter that is

being measured. Intensive properties, such as density and color, do not depend on the
amount of matter. Both extensive and intensive properties are physical properties, which
means they can be measured without changing the substance’s chemical identity.

Physical properties are properties that can be measured or observed without changing the
chemical nature of the substance. Some examples of physical properties include color,

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density, mass, and boiling and melting points. A chemical property, meanwhile, is any of a
material’s properties that becomes evident during a chemical reaction; that is, any quality
that can be established only by changing a substance’s chemical identity. Chemical
properties cannot be determined just by viewing or touching the substance; the substance’s
internal structure must be affected for its chemical properties to be investigated. Chemical
reactions including combustion, oxidation, and flammability are examples of properties
leading to a change in a substance’s chemical structure.

Changes in Matter

There are two types of change in matter: physical change and chemical change. As the
names suggest, a physical change affects a substance’s physical properties, and a
chemical change affects its chemical properties. Many physical changes are reversible
(such as heating and cooling), whereas chemical changes are often irreversible or only
reversible with an additional chemical change. Cutting, tearing, shattering, grinding, and
mixing are further types of physical changes because they change the form but not the
composition of a material. Phase changes are changes that occur when substances are
melted, frozen, boiled, condensed, sublimated, or deposited. They are also physical
changes because they do not change the nature of the substance. Chemical changes are
also known as chemical reactions. The “ingredients” of a reaction are called the reactants,
and the end results are called the products. The change from reactants to products is signified
by an arrow (Reactants → Products).

Laws Governing the Changes in Matter

Law of Conservation of Mass (Antoine Lavoisier). This law states that, despite chemical
reactions or physical transformations, mass is conserved — that is, it cannot be created or
destroyed — within an isolated system. In other words, in a chemical reaction, the mass of
the products will always be equal to the mass of the reactants. The law of conservation of

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mass is useful for a number of calculations and can be used to solve for unknown masses,
such the amount of gas consumed or produced during a reaction.

Example:

If heating 10.0 grams of calcium carbonate (CaCO 3) produces 4.4 g of carbon dioxide (CO 2)
and 5.6 g of calcium oxide (CaO), show that these observations agree with the law of
conservation of mass.

Solution
Mass of the reactants = Mass of the products

10.0 g of CaCO3 = 4.4 g of CO2 + 5.6g of CaO

10.0 g of reactant = 10.0 g of products

Because the mass of the reactant is equal to the mass of the products, the observations
agree with the law of conservation of mass.

Law of Definite Proportions (Joseph Proust). It stated that chemical compounds are
formed of constant and defined ratios of elements, as determined by mass. For
example, carbon dioxide is composed of one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms.
Therefore, by mass, carbon dioxide can be described by the fixed ratio of 12 (mass of

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carbon):32 (mass of oxygen) or simplified as 3:8. A compound contain a fixed ratio of
elements, if that ratio changes, then that is a new unique compound.

Example:

Law of Multiple Proportions (John Dalton). The Law of Multiple Proportions states that
any two compounds formed from the same elements can be described by the mass ratio of
one element to another. This is a relatively simple concept, but it is the basis of
understanding more complex concepts when quantifying chemical reactions.

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Energy and its Forms

When we speak of using energy, we are really referring to transferring energy from one

place to another. When you use energy to throw a ball, you transfer energy from your body
to the ball, and this causes the ball to fly through the air. When you use energy to warm
your house, you transfer energy from the furnace to the air in your home, and this causes
the temperature in your house to rise. Although energy is used in many kinds of different
situations, all of these uses rely on energy being transferred in one of two ways. Energy can
be transferred as heat or as work. Heat is the term given to energy that is transferred from
a hot object to a cooler object due to the difference in their temperatures. Work is the term
given to energy that is transferred as a result of a force applied over a distance.

Energy comes in two fundamentally different forms: kinetic energy and potential energy.
Kinetic energy is energy associated with motion. When an object is moving, it has kinetic
energy. When the object stops moving, it has no kinetic energy. While all moving objects
have kinetic energy, not all moving objects have the same amount of kinetic energy. The
amount of kinetic energy possessed by an object is determined by its mass and its speed.
The heavier an object is and the faster it is moving, the more kinetic energy it has.

Potential energy is stored energy. It is energy that remains available until we choose to

use it. Any stored energy is potential energy. There are a lot of different ways in which
energy can be stored, and this can make potential energy very difficult to recognize. In
general, an object has potential energy because of its position relative to another object.
● Since different chemicals have different amounts of potential energy, it can be said
that potential energy depends not only on position but also on composition.
Composition affects potential energy because it determines which molecules and
atoms end up next to each other.

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Energy is measured in one of two common units: the calorie and the joule. The joule (J) is
the SI unit of energy. The calorie is familiar because it is commonly used when referring to
the amount of energy contained within food. A calorie (cal) is the quantity of heat required
to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1°C.
● For example, raising the temperature of 100g of water from 20°C to 22°C would
require 100 × 2 = 200 cal.
Calories contained within food are actually kilocalories (kcal). In order to make the
distinction, the dietary calorie is written with a capital C.

1 kilocalorie = 1 Calorie = 1000calories

Heat changes in chemical reactions are typically measured in joules rather than calories.

1 J = 0.2390 cal or 1 cal = 4.184 J

IV. REFERENCES

3: Matter and Energy - Chemistry LibreTexts

Introduction to Chemistry | Simple Book Production (lumenlearning.com)
Fundamental Chemical Laws - Expii

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