Chapter 8

Properties of Matter

(Lessons 1 and 2 will be quizzed together. Lessons 3-5 will be quizzed together.)

Lesson 1

  1. Matter – anything that has mass and takes up space
  2. Element – a material that cannot be broken down into anything simpler
  3. Atom – the smallest unit of an element that retains the properties of that element.
  4. Compound – when two or more elements combine, they form a compound.
  5. Molecule – when two or more atoms join together and share electrons they form a molecule.

Lesson 2

  1. Physical property – something that can be observed about an object without changing the identity of the object.
  2. Mass – the amount of matter in an object
  3. Weight – how strongly gravity pulls an object (remember: weight changes on different planets)
  4. Volume – how much space matter takes up
  5. Density – the amount of mass for each cubic centimeter of a substance
  6. Chemical property – the way a substance reacts with other substances
  7. Boiling point – the temperature at which a substance boils
  8. Freezing point – the temperature at which a substance freezes.

Lesson 3

  1. Thermal conductivity – the ability of a material to transfer heat energy.
  2. Conductor – a material that easily conducts heat energy (metal – frying pan)
  3. Insulator – materials that do not conduct heat well (blubber, a bird’s down feathers, winter coats, sweaters, thermos)

Lesson 4

  1. Mixture – a physical combination of substances (chex mix)
  2. Colloid – a mixture like a suspension where the parts do not settle everywhere, even under a microscope (mayonnaise, foam, smoke)
  3. Solution – a mixture with parts that blend so that it looks the same everywhere, even under a microscope
  4. Solute – the smaller amount that is dissolved in a solution
  5. Solvent – the larger amount that dissolves the other substance in a solution. When making sugar water, sugar would be the solute and water would be the solvent.
  6. Solubility – the maximum amount of a solute that can dissolve in a solvent
  7. Distillation – separates the parts of a mixture by vaporization and condensation.

Lesson 5

  1. Physical change – alters the form of an object without changing what type of matter it is.
  2. Chemical change – when atoms link together in new ways to create substances different from the original substance.
  3. Reactants – an original substance at the beginning of a chemical reaction
  4. Products – a substance at the end of a chemical reaction
  5. Precipitate – a solid formed from the chemical reaction of some solution.