What is Matter?

Matter can be defined as anything that has mass and occupies space. Matter can be described as having properties such as smell, colour, and so on and they undergo changes from one state to another. Some of the concepts of matter are:

Substance: Substances are homogeneous and all parts are alike. Substances can be described as either elements or compounds.

Elements: Some of the elements of matter are oxygen, gold, iron, hydrogen, carbon etc. It is important to note that elements are pure substances and they cannot be decomposed into simpler substances through chemical means.

Compounds: A compound can be defined as the pure substance that is made up of two or more elements. Compounds can be separated by chemical means and some examples of compounds are water and sugar.

Mixtures: A mixture can be described as a combination of two or more substances in any proportions. A mixture can be homogeneous and heterogeneous and are not chemically linked.

Chemical Classification of Matter

The chemical properties of a matter are characterised by how matter changes its chemical composition and structure. One example of chemical changes is burning. When ethanol comes in contact with oxygen then it burns in air and this an example of chemical reaction. One thing which should be kept in mind is that when chemical changes take place it is irreversible. For example, when ethanol burns in air the final product which is obtained are carbon dioxide gas (CO₂) and water (H₂O), and it is not possible to convert them into their original material.

It is important that students have a good idea of separating chemical substances and compounds from a mixture. There are two standard methods that are used to separate homogeneous mixtures and they are crystallisation and distillation. Crystallisation is the process in which solids are separated from a solution and is used for purification of substances. On the other hand, distillation is described as the process of separating the components of components or substances from liquid mixture by condensation and selective boiling.

A heterogeneous mixture, on the other hand, is a composition which is not uniform throughout the mixture. Heterogeneous mixture can be separated easily, for example cereal can be separated from milk by picking them out or sand can be separated from water by straining them.

Conclusion

To learn more about Chemistry and different topics and concepts related to the subject, you can take exams for different classes such as Class 9, 10, and so on here at Embibe. There are many exams in which questions about Chemistry are asked and referring to Embibe will help to strengthen on different topics and concepts of Chemistry.
We hope that this article on Chemical Classification of Matter has helped you. Stay tuned to Embibe to know more about different topics related to Chemistry.

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Last Modified 16-02-2025

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Chemical Classification of Matter

What is Matter?