The 9 states of aggregation of matter

There are not only liquids, solids and gases; there are more states of aggregation of matter.

It is traditionally thought that matter can only be found in three states: solid, liquid and gas. However, this is not true. Other states of aggregation of matter have been seen which, although rare, also seem to exist..

Below we will see the main characteristics of each of these states, who discovered the most recent ones and what are the processes that make an object pass from one state to another.

States of aggregation of matter: what are they?

In physics, it is understood by state of aggregation of the matter to one of the characteristic forms in which the matter can present itself. Historically, the distinction between states of matter was made on the basis of qualitative properties, such as the solidity of the object, the behavior of its atoms or its temperature, the traditional classification being liquid, solid and gas.

However, thanks to research in physics, other states have been discovered and proposed that can be produced in situations that are not normally possible to replicate, such as extremely high or low temperatures.

The following are the main states of matterWe will also explain their physical properties and how it is possible to obtain them.

Fundamental states

Traditionally, we have spoken of three states of matter, depending on how its atoms behave at different temperatures. These states are basically three: solid, liquid and gas. However, plasma was later added to these fundamental states. The most remarkable thing about the following four states is that it is possible to observe them in everyday situations at home.

In order to understand the four fundamental states of aggregation of matter, in each section we will see how H2O, i.e., water, appears in each of these states.

1. Solid

Objects in the solid state have a definite shape, i.e. their shape does not normally change, it is not possible to alter it without applying a great force or changing the state of the object in question.

The atoms of these objects are intertwined to form defined structures.This gives them the ability to withstand forces without deforming the body in which they are located. This makes these objects hard and resistant.

H2O in solid state is ice.

Objects in the solid state usually have the following characteristics:

• High cohesion.
• Defined shape.
• Shape memory: depending on the object, it returns to the way it was when deformed.
• They are practically incompressible.
• Resistance to fragmentation
• No fluidity.

2. Liquid

If the temperature of a solid is increased, it is likely that it will eventually lose its form until its well-organized atomic structure its well-organized atomic structure completely disappears, becoming a liquid.

Liquids have the ability to flow because their atoms, although they still form organized molecules, are not so tightly bound to each other, having more freedom of movement..

H2O in the liquid state is ordinary water.

In the liquid state, substances have the following characteristics:

• Less cohesion.
• They have no concrete form.
• Fluidity.
• Low compressibility
• They contract when exposed to cold.
• They can present diffusion.

3. Gas

In the gaseous state, matter is composed of molecules that are not bound together, having little force of attraction between themThis means that gases do not have a defined shape or volume.

Thanks to this, they expand completely freely, filling the container that contains them. Their density is much lower than that of liquids and solids..

The gaseous state of H2O is water vapor.

The gaseous state has the following characteristics:

• Almost no cohesion.
• No defined shape.
• Variable volume.
• They tend to occupy as much space as possible.

4. Plasma

Many people are not familiar with this state of matter, which is curious, given that it is the most common state in the universe, since it is what stars are made of.

In essence, plasma is an ionized gas, i.e., the atoms that compose it have separated from their electrons.which are subatomic particles normally found inside atoms.

Thus, plasma is like a gas, but composed of anions and cations, which are negatively and positively charged ions, respectively. This makes plasma an excellent conductor.

In gases, being at high temperatures, the atoms move very fast. If these atoms collide with each other very violently, the electrons inside them are released. Taking this into account, it is understandable that the gases found on the surface of the Sun are constantly ionized, because there is a lot of temperature, causing them to become plasma.

Fluorescent lamps, once lit, contain plasma inside. Also, a candle fire would be plasma.

Characteristics of plasmas:

• They conduct electricity.
• They are strongly influenced by magnetic fields.
• Its atoms do not form a defined structure.
• They emit light.
• They are at high temperatures.

New states

There are not only the four states already mentioned. Under laboratory conditions, many others have been proposed and discovered.. In the following we will see several states of aggregation of matter that could hardly be observed at home, but that could have been deliberately created in scientific facilities, or have been hypothesized.

5. Bose-Einstein condensate

Originally predicted by Satyendra Nath Bose and Albert Einstein in 1927, the Bose-Einstein condensate was discovered in 1995 by physicists Eric A. Cornell, Wolfgang Ketterle and Carl E. Wieman.

These researchers succeeded in cooled atoms to a temperature 300 times lower than had been achieved to date.. This condensate is composed of bosons.

In this state of matter, the atoms are completely still. The substance is very cold and has a high density.

6. Fermi condensate

The Fermi condensate is composed of fermionic particles and resembles the Bose-Einstein condensate, only that instead of using bosons, fermions are used.

This state of matter was created for the first time in 1999, although it would not be until 2003 that it would be possible to replicate it with atoms instead of just fermions, a discovery made by Deborah S. Jin.

This state of aggregation of matter, which is found at low temperatures, causes matter to acquire superfluidity, i.e., the substance has no viscosity whatsoever..

7. Supersolid

This state of matter is particularly strange. It consists of helium-(4) atoms at very low temperatures, close to absolute zero.

The atoms are arranged in a similar way to what you would expect in a normal solid, such as ice, only here, although they would be frozen, they would not be in a totally quiescent state, although they would be frozen, they would not be in a totally quiescent state..

The atoms begin to behave strangely, as if they were a solid and fluid at the same time. This is when the laws of quantum uncertainty begin to prevail.

8. Supercrystal

A supercrystal is a phase of matter characterized by superfluidity and, at the same time, a solidified amorphous structure.

Unlike normal crystals, which are solid, supercrystals have the ability to flow without any resistance and without breaking the proper crystalline structure in which their atoms are organized.

These crystals are formed by the interaction of quantum particles at low temperatures and high densities..

9. Superfluid

Superfluid is a state of matter in which the substance has no viscosity at all. This differs from what would be a very fluid substance, which would be one that has a viscosity close to zero, but still has viscosity.

Superfluid is a substance that, if it were in a closed loop, would flow endlessly without friction. It was discovered in 1937 by Piotr Kapitsa, John F. Allen and Don Misener.

Changes of state

Changes of state are processes in which one state of aggregation of matter changes to another while maintaining a similarity in chemical composition.. In the following we will see the different transformations that matter can present.

1. Melting

It is the passage of a solid to the liquid state by means of heat. The melting point is the temperature to which a solid must be exposed to melt, and is something that varies from substance to substance. is something that varies from substance to substance. For example, the melting point of ice to water is 0 degrees Celsius.

Solidification

The change from a liquid to a solid by loss of temperature. The solidification point, also called the freezing point, is the temperature at which a liquid becomes a solid.. It coincides with the melting point of each substance.

3. Evaporation and boiling

These are the processes by which a liquid changes to a gaseous state. In the case of water, its boiling point is 100 degrees centigrade..

4. Condensation

It is the change of state of matter from a gas to a liquid. It can be understood as the opposite process to evaporation..

It is what happens to water vapor when it rains, since its temperature drops and the gas passes to the liquid state, precipitating.

5. Sublimation

It is the process that consists in the change of state of a matter that is in solid state passing to the gaseous state, without passing through the liquid state on the way.

An example of a substance that is capable of sublimation is dry ice.

6. Reverse sublimation

Consists of a gas passes to the solid state without first being transformed into a liquid..

7. Deionization

It is the change from a plasma to a gas.

8. Ionization

It is the change from a gas to a plasma.