Skip to content

What is Matter?

Matter can be anything which occupy space and have mass.
• On the basis of Physical state, matter can be divided into –
(a) Solid
(b) Liquid
(c) Gas
• On the basis of Macroscopic or bulk level, matter can be divided into –
(a) Mixture – which are further divided into –
(i) Homogeneous mixture
(ii) Heterogeneous mixture
(b) Pure substances – which are further divided into –
(i) Elements
(ii) Compounds

Substances – A substance is a form of matter having a definite or fixed composition and a set of characteristic properties.
• Different substances differ from each in their constitent and composition.

Mixture – Simple combination of 2 or more substances in which the constituent substances retain their separate identities. e.g. salt + water mixture, gases in air, ethyl alcohol + water.
(i) Homogeneous mixture – Concentration of the constituents remain uniform throughout the mixture and all are present in one phase (solid, liquid or gas). e.g. mixture of gases.
(ii) Heterogeneous mixture – Concentration of the constituents are different throughout the mixture and two or more phases are present. e.g. mixture of solids, phenol + water.

4 thoughts on “What is Matter?”

Comments are closed.