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Characteristics of Matter

Author: Nathan Lampson

 

Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space.

You are matter, the screen in front of you is matter, and all of the air around you is matter too.

 

Atoms are the basic building blocks of matter.

If you were to tear aluminum foil in half over and over again, eventually you'd reach a point where the foil couldn't be separated anymore.  You would be left with just a single aluminum atom.  Atoms are the smallest possible structure of a pure element.

Elements are pure substances that can't be broken down by chemical or physical means.

Gold, aluminum, and oxygen are all examples of common elements. Different elements have different properties because their atoms are different. 

 

A chemical bond occurs when atoms combine to form larger particles. A chemical bond is a force of attraction between two atoms.

 

Carbon dioxide, the molecule that is exhaled by humans as waste, has chemical bonds between one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms.

Characteristics of Matter