States
of matter
& Solids

chem1 virtual textbook

a reference text for General Chemistry

Stephen Lower

Simon Fraser University

The pages in this section of the Chem1 Virtual Textbook present an overview of the condensed states of matter. Although there is more detail than can be found in standard textbooks, the level is still suitable for first-year college and advanced high school courses. These pages should also be helpful as review material for students in more advanced courses in chemistry, geology, and materials science.

> To access the desired page, click one of the lesson titles immediately below; you can also go directly to any sub-section within a lesson by clicking on a smaller heading.

1- Matter under the microscope: States of Matter

These first four sections introduce basic concepts appropriate to most introductory courses.

- Solids, liquids and gases
- Liquids and their structure
- Solids and their classification
- Crystalline solids
- Amorphous solids
- Types of molecular units
- Extended and giant-molecule solids
- Concept map
- What you should be able to do

2- Interactions between molecular units

- Potential energy curves
- The universal repulsive force
- Ionic attraction
- Dipole moment and polarizability
- Non-bonding interactions: van der Walls forces
- Concept map
- What you should be able to do

3- Hydrogen-bonding and water

- The water molecule
- "Anomalous" properties of water
- Structure of liquid water
- Ice
- Composition of "pure" water
- More about hydrogen bonding
- Concept map
- What you should be able to do

4- Liquids and their interfaces

- What is a liquid?
- Flow properties of liquids: the viscosity
- Surface tension
- Interfacial effects in liquids
- Wetting of a surface, surfactants
- Capillary rise and the meniscus
- Bubbles
- Structure of liquids
- Concept map
- What you should be able to do

5- Changes of state: vapor pressure, phase maps

- Vapor pressure and escaping tendency
- Condensation and boiling, nucleation
- Phase maps
- Phases at the extremes

6- Introduction to crystals

- External appearance of crystals
- Lattices and unit cells
- Crystal systems and Bravais lattices
- Miller indices
- Factors affecting growth habits
- Concept map
- What you should be able to do

7- Ionic and ion-derived solids

- Introduction to ionic solids
- Alkali halides - structure and energetics
- Some properties of ionic solids
- Extended ion-derived solids
- Concept map
- What you should be able to do

8- Cubic lattices and close-packing

- Close-packing of identical spheres
- Crystal lattices
- Cubic lattices
- Close-packed lattices
- Interstitial void spaces
- Some common face-centered cubic structures
- Simple- and body-centered cubic structures
- Concept map
- What you should be able to do

10- Polymers and plastics

- What's special about polymers?
- Polymer structural types
- How polymers are made
- Gallery of common synhetic polymers
- Some important natural polymers
- Plastics in the environment

11- Colloids New - Sept 2012

- Introducing colloids
- Colloidal dispersions
- Stability of dispersions
- Making and breaking dispersions
- Gels
- Some important applicat

12- Liquid crystals New - Sept 2012

- Structural units
- Properties of liquid crystals
- Nematic and smectic phases
- Liquid crystal displays
- ...for more information