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what is the difference between solid , liquid , gas ?

Asked by suresh.kumar1...(student), on 18/10/10

Answers

Solid :- When atoms of any substance is very tightly packed, having no intermolecular
space then that substance is called as solid substaces.

- They are rigid in structure.

- Have definite structure and volume.

- Have high density.

Ex:- wood etc.

LIQUID :- When there is some intermolecular spaces between the atoms.

- They are fluid in nature.

- Don't have definite shape or volume.

- Occupy the shape of the container in which it is kept.

- Less density then solid and more density then liquid.

Ex:- water

GAS :- When there is a large intermolecular space between the molecules.

- They are also fluid in nature.

- Have neither definite shape nor volume.

- Have leser densit then water.

Ex :- All atmospheric gases.

Posted by superstar.shubhamgupta...(student), on 18/10/10

Hi

@Shubham: Very good answer! Keep posting as your answers are helpful to other users in this
forum!

@Suresh: A small addition from my side

Solid, liquid and gas are the three states of matter. The following table lists the differences
between these three states of matter.

Property Solid Liquid Gas

Packing of particles Particles are packed Particles are packed Particles are packed
very close to each less close to each other. very far from each
another. other.
Forces of attraction
Strongest Weaker than solids Negligible
between the particles
Fixed shape and fixed No fixed shape but Neither fixed shape nor
Shape and volume
volume fixed volume fixed volume
Compressibility Negligible Higher than solids Highest
Rate of diffusion Very low Higher than solids Highest
Density Highest Less than solids Least
Kinetic Energy of
Very small Higher than solids Highest
particles
Example Ice Water Water vapour

The figure below shows the arrangement of particles in these three states of matter.

Keep writing !

Cheers!

Posted by
Solid Liquid Gas Laxmi
Bisht(MeritNat
ion Expert), on 18/10/10
This conversation is already closed by Expert

Solid are tigtly packed

liquid are less packed

gas are thelightest packed

Posted by shivamgupta0, on 22/8/11

HAi

Some Characteristics of Gases, Liquids and Solids and the Microscopic

Explanation for the Behavior

gas liquid solid

assumes the shape of the

assumes the shape and retains a fixed volume and
part of the container which
volume of its container shape
it occupies
particles can move past rigid - particles locked into
particles can move/slide
one another place
past one another

compressible not easily compressible not easily compressible

lots of free space between little free space between little free space between
particles particles particles

does not flow easily

flows easily flows easily
rigid - particles cannot
particles can move past particles can move/slide
move/slide past one
one another past one another
another
States of matter are the distinct forms that different phases of matter take on. Solid, liquid and
gas are the most common states of matter on Earth. However, much of the baryonic matter of the
universe is in the form of hot plasma, both as rarefied interstellar medium and as dense stars.

Historically, the distinction is made based on qualitative differences in bulk properties. Solid is
the state in which matter maintains a fixed volume and shape; liquid is the state in which matter
maintains a fixed volume but adapts to the shape of its container; and gas is the state in which
matter expands to occupy whatever volume is available.

This diagram shows the nomenclature for the different phase transitions.

The state or phase of a given set of matter can change depending on pressure and temperature
conditions, transitioning to other phases as these conditions change to favor their existence; for
example, solid transitions to liquid with an increase in temperature.

States of matter may also be defined in terms of phase transitions. A phase transition indicates a
change in structure and can be recognized by an abrupt change in properties. By this definition, a
distinct state of matter is any set of states distinguished from any other set of states by a phase
transition. Water can be said to have several distinct solid states.[1] The appearance of
superconductivity is associated with a phase transition, so there are superconductive states.
Likewise, ferromagnetic states are demarcated by phase transitions and have distinctive
properties. When the change of state occurs in stages the intermediate steps are called
mesophases. Such phases have been exploited by the introduction of liquid crystal technology.
More recently, distinctions between states have been based on differences in molecular
interrelationships. Solid is the state in which intermolecular attractions keep the molecules in
fixed spatial relationships. Liquid is the state in which intermolecular attractions keep molecules
in proximity, but do not keep the molecules in fixed relationships. Gas is the state in which
molecules are comparatively separated and intermolecular attractions have relatively little effect
on their respective motions. Plasma is a highly ionized gas that occurs at high temperatures. The
intermolecular forces created by ionic attractions and repulsions give these compositions distinct
properties, for which reason plasma is described as a fourth state of matter.[2][3]

Each of the classical states of matter, unlike plasma for example, can transition directly into any
of the other classical states.

Solid

A crystalline solid: atomic resolution image of strontium titanate. Brighter atoms are Sr and
darker ones are Ti.
Main article: Solid
The particles (ions, atoms or molecules) are packed closely together. The forces between
particles are strong enough so that the particles cannot move freely but can only vibrate. As a
result, a solid has a stable, definite shape, and a definite volume. Solids can only change their
shape by force, as when broken or cut.

In crystalline solids, the particles (atoms, molecules, or ions) are packed in a regularly ordered,
repeating pattern. There are many different crystal structures, and the same substance can have
more than one structure (or solid phase). For example, iron has a body-centred cubic structure at
temperatures below 912 °C, and a face-centred cubic structure between 912 and 1394 °C. Ice has
fifteen known crystal structures, or fifteen solid phases, which exist at various temperatures and
pressures.[4]

Glasses and other non-crystalline, amorphous solids without long-range order are not thermal
equilibrium ground states; therefore they are described below as nonclassical states of matter.

Solids can be transformed into liquids by melting, and liquids can be transformed into solids by
freezing. Solids can also change directly into gases through the process of sublimation.

Liquid

Structure of a classical monatomic liquid. Atoms have many nearest neighbors in contact, yet no
long-range order is present.

Main article: Liquid

A liquid is a nearly incompressible fluid that conforms to the shape of its container but retains a
(nearly) constant volume independent of pressure. The volume is definite if the temperature and
pressure are constant. When a solid is heated above its melting point, it becomes liquid, given
that the pressure is higher than the triple point of the substance. Intermolecular (or interatomic or
interionic) forces are still important, but the molecules have enough energy to move relative to
each other and the structure is mobile. This means that the shape of a liquid is not definite but is
determined by its container. The volume is usually greater than that of the corresponding solid,
the most well known exception being water, H2O. The highest temperature at which a given
liquid can exist is its critical temperature.[5]
Gas

The spaces between gas molecules are very big. Gas molecules have very weak or no bonds at
all. The molecules in "gas" can move freely and fast.
Main article: Gas

A gas is a compressible fluid. Not only will a gas conform to the shape of its container but it will
also expand to fill the container.

In a gas, the molecules have enough kinetic energy so that the effect of intermolecular forces is
small (or zero for an ideal gas), and the typical distance between neighboring molecules is much
greater than the molecular size. A gas has no definite shape or volume, but occupies the entire
container in which it is confined. A liquid may be converted to a gas by heating at constant
pressure to the boiling point, or else by reducing the pressure at constant temperature.

At temperatures below its critical temperature, a gas is also called a vapor, and can be liquefied
by compression alone without cooling. A vapor can exist in equilibrium with a liquid (or solid),
in which case the gas pressure equals the vapor pressure of the liquid (or solid).

A supercritical fluid (SCF) is a gas whose temperature and pressure are above the critical
temperature and critical pressure respectively. In this state, the distinction between liquid and gas
disappears. A supercritical fluid has the physical properties of a gas, but its high density confers
solvent properties in some cases, which leads to useful applications. For example, supercritical
carbon dioxide is used to extract caffeine in the manufacture of decaffeinated coffee.[6]