Mixing Matter

A Science A–Z Physical Series

Mixing
Word Count: 1,502

Matter

Written by David Dreier

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 Key elements Used in This Book
The Big Idea: Everything is made of tiny particles called atoms. These
atoms combine to form molecules. What allows us to have so many
different things all around us is that these atoms and molecules

Mixing Matter combine with other atoms and molecules in many ways. It is important
to understand how materials change when combined. Some materials
retain their own properties, while other materials form something new.
Throughout our day, we see, use, and even consume combinations
of materials. It is useful to understand how materials will react when
combined. This knowledge can even keep us safe.
Key words: atom, chemical, chemical change, chemical reaction, concentrated,
density, electron, element, gas, liquid, magnetism, material, matter, mix, mixture,
molecule, neutron, nucleus, physical change, property, proton, saturated, solid,
solution, states of matter, substance, suspension, symbol, volume, weight
Key comprehension skill: Compare and contrast
Other suitable comprehension skills: Cause and effect; classify information;
main idea and details; identify facts; elements of a genre; interpret graphs,
charts, and diagrams
Key reading strategy: Visualize
Other suitable reading strategies: Ask and answer questions; summarize;
connect to prior knowledge; using a table of contents and headings; using
a glossary and boldfaced terms

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Illustration Credits:
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© Learning A–Z
Written by David Dreier
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 Table of Contents

Introduction............................................................... 4
Elements..................................................................... 5
Introduction
Atoms.......................................................................... 7
Combining Matter................................................... 10 Look at the things around you. Maybe you see
books and a desk. What are they made of? The
Changing Matter..................................................... 12 books are probably made of paper. The desk
Mixing Matter.......................................................... 15 could be made of materials such as wood, glass,
metal, or plastic. Maybe it’s made of several
Mixing Solids and Liquids..................................... 16
materials put together. All these objects and
Mixing Liquids........................................................ 20 materials are types of matter. Everything that
Conclusion............................................................... 21 takes up space and has weight is made of matter.
But what is matter? This book explores the types
Glossary.................................................................... 22
of matter, how those materials can be mixed to
Index......................................................................... 24 make new things, and how matter changes.
3 4
 Elements There are about 120 elements. Some are metals,
such as iron and gold. Others are usually gases,
All matter is made of simple materials called such as oxygen and helium. Each element has a
elements. An element is a substance that cannot symbol. The symbol is one or two letters that are
be broken down into other substances. Imagine often short for the element’s name. For example,
cutting a piece of gold into smaller and smaller oxygen is “O” and helium is “He.”
pieces. No matter how small you make the
pieces, each one will still be gold. That is why Elements combine in different ways to make
gold is an element. materials that we see and use every day.

O
Oxygen
16

Pure gold is made

only of gold particles.

Gold bar being poured

He
Some symbols for
elements come from The number above the symbol shows
the Latin language. how many protons the element has.
For example, Fe is The bottom number is the average of Helium
the number of protons and neutrons
the symbol for iron. together in atoms of that element.
4
Fe is short for ferrum,
the Latin word for iron.
iron ore

5 6
 Atoms All atoms of the same element have the same
number of protons and electrons. (The number
Imagine that you could look deep inside any of neutrons sometimes changes.) But atoms
object. You would see that everything is made of of different elements contain different numbers
tiny particles called atoms. Atoms are so small that of protons and electrons.
they can be seen only with strong microscopes.
Every element is made of a certain kind of atom. Even though particles are very, very tiny, they
And no two elements have atoms that are the still weigh something. The more protons and
same. The smallest piece of gold is a gold atom. neutrons an atom has, the more it will weigh.
Helium atoms have just 2 protons and 2 neutrons
in their nucleus. But lead has 82 protons and 125
neutrons. So lead is much heavier than helium.

Helium atom

2 electrons
P N
Helium Atom
Nucleus N P
gold
atom
2 protons
nucleus: 2 neutrons
A gold coin is made of millions of
2 protons
gold atoms all packed together.
2 neutrons

If you could look even deeper inside an lead atom

atom, you’d see that it is made of even smaller 82 electrons

particles. An atom is a little like our solar

system. In our solar system, planets circle the
Sun. In an atom, particles called electrons circle
the center of the atom. The center of the atom
is called the nucleus. The nucleus is made of
nucleus:
particles called protons and neutrons. 82 protons
125 neutrons
7 8
 The more atoms an object has, the more Combining Matter
it will weigh. An iron pan weighs less than an
iron bridge. That’s because a bridge has many You’ve learned that there are about 120
billions more iron atoms than a pan. elements. Each element is made of a different
kind of atom. To create all the kinds of materials
and objects you see every day, atoms come
together in different combinations.

When atoms join, they share electrons. When

they share electrons, they form a chemical bond.
A bond can also be broken. When atoms form
or break bonds with each other, it is called a
chemical reaction.

The combination of two or more atoms is

a molecule. A molecule is the smallest amount
of most substances.
The first iron bridge was
built in England in 1779.
A Water Molecule Hydrogen
Atom

Hydrogen
Atom
The ancient Greeks thought matter was made
of just four elements. They said those elements
were earth, air, fire, and water. In the 1600s, A water molecule has
one oxygen atom and
scientists began to learn that there are many two hydrogen atoms.
Oxygen Atom
elements. Soon they realized that those elements The hydrogen atoms
are not earth, air, fire, nor water. share their electrons
with the oxygen atom.

9 10
 Changing Matter

When materials mix, they

don’t have to make a new
compound. If they just mix
Rock candy is simply together without making
colored table sugar
with large crystals.
a new material, it’s
called a physical
change. Another Glass breaking
When two or more elements join, they make is a physical
a compound. Each compound has its own physical change happens change.
properties. Salt and sugar look alike, but they when matter changes from one
are different compounds. The elements that state to another. For example, liquid water can
combine to make salt and sugar have properties change to solid ice, or from liquid to gas—those
that make them taste different. are both physical changes. If you add sugar to
water, you get water that tastes sugary. But no
A compound can be very different from the new material is made.
elements it is made from. Water is made from
two gases! Oxygen and hydrogen are usually If materials combine chemically to make a new
gases. But when they join, they can make liquid material, they undergo a chemical change. When
water. Many other elements also bond to make oxygen in the air combines with iron, a chemical
new kinds of substances. Molecules can also change happens. A new
bond together to form new kinds of molecules. material, called rust or
ferric oxide, is made.
People name molecules and compounds using Rust is very different
letters and numbers. The letters tell you which from oxygen or iron.
elements are in the molecule or compound. The The formation of rust
numbers tell you how many atoms of each element is a chemical change.
are in the molecule or compound. For example,
each water molecule has two hydrogen atoms and Unpainted iron rusts faster
one oxygen atom. Water is H2O. than painted iron.

11 12
 There are five main ways to tell
when a chemical change happens.

1. The material or mix changes color.

Apples turn brown due
to a chemical reaction
with the air.

2. Energy is absorbed or released.

Many fireworks make light,
heat, and sound when they Cake batter is a simple mixture. But once it is baked, chemical
changes happen.
burn.
When you bake a cake, you smell the cake
3. The material changes odor.
baking, and you see the batter rise and turn
Food smells bad when it spoils
brown. When the cake is sliced, you see a spongy
because of chemical changes.
texture. The texture is created by gas bubbles that
4. The material or mix produces gases formed in the batter. Before it is baked, cake batter
or solids. If you drop an antacid is a simple physical mixture. Once the cake gets
tablet into water, it creates gas baked, chemical changes occur.
bubbles in the water.

5. The change is difficult to undo.

If you bake a cake, it would Mercury (Hg) is an unusual element. It is
be very hard to separate out a shiny liquid metal. You may have seen
its ingredients because it in a thermometer. Mercury is the only
they’ve undergone metal that is a liquid at room temperature.
It does not become a solid
chemical changes.
until it cools to about
minus 39°C.

13 14
 Mixing Matter Mixing Solids and Liquids

Now let’s look at the physical changes that You can change the strength of a solution
occur when matter is mixed together. Different by adding more of the solid to the liquid. For
states of matter can be mixed without making a example, to make a stronger cup of hot chocolate,
chemical change. You can mix solids with solids, you can add more chocolate powder. The hot
solids with liquids, and liquids with liquids. chocolate is more concentrated when it has more
You can mix gases with gases, and liquid with chocolate powder.
gases. These combinations of materials are
called mixtures.

Sometimes it is easy to see the different

materials in a mixture. For example, if you mix
sand with water in a jar and shake it up, you just
get cloudy-looking water. If you let the jar sit a
short time, the sand will easily separate and settle
to the bottom of the jar.

At other times, different

substances mix so well that
it is hard to see the parts However, there is a limit to the amount of a
that were mixed. If you mix solid you can add to a liquid in a solution. If you
sugar or salt with water add too much salt to water and shake it up, some
and shake it up, the salt of the salt will just sink to the bottom. If a solution
or sugar dissolves and will cannot hold any more solid,
not settle to the bottom if it is saturated. You can add
you let it sit. This kind of more salt to a saturated
mixture is called a solution. solution of salt water by
heating the solution.
Sand mixed with water
will settle out over time.

15 16
 One way to tell apart the materials in a mixture
Common Mixtures, Solutions, and Suspensions
is to look at the parts’ properties, such as volume,
Mixture, Solution,
Substance States of Matter
or Suspension
density, and magnetism.
salt water solid and liquid solution
This table lists some properties of matter.

Some Properties of Matter

Property Definition Discussion

Solids, liquids, and

a measure
gases all take up space.
of how
It is impossible for one
soda pop liquid and gas solution Volume much space
grain of sand to occupy
something
the same space as
fills
another grain of sand.

a measure of All matter has weight.

Weight how heavy Even a gas such as air
something is has weight.
tossed salad solids mixture

a measure of Almost all rocks are

how heavy denser than water, so
something is they sink when dropped
Density
compared to into water. Most wood is
the volume it less dense than water,
takes up so it floats in water.
gelatin solid and liquid suspension

Some matter, such

as iron, is easily
the ability to
magnetized. Other
Magnetism be attracted
types of matter, such
by a magnet
as aluminum, wood,
and paper, are not.

17 18
 Mixing Liquids

Mixtures of liquids can

Cream is a special kind of
suspension. It contains droplets be different, too. Sometimes
of fats and bits of proteins when you mix two liquids
suspended in water. If you together, the liquids stay
were to shake some cream long separate. If you mix oil
enough, the droplets of fat would
and water, the oil rises and
collect into a lumpy
solid. That solid floats on top of the water.
is butter!
In other liquid mixtures,
the liquids do not stay
A different kind of mixture of solids and separate. If you mix food
liquids is called a suspension. In a suspension, coloring and water, the two
the bits of solid material are very tiny and light. liquids blend completely.
For that reason, they do not settle out right away. It would be very hard to
separate them.
If you stir some
dirt into a glass of
water, the tiniest
particles form a
suspension. They
make the water
brown. If the glass
is not disturbed,
the tiny bits of dirt
slowly start to sink.
Eventually they all
settle to the bottom
of the glass.
19 20
 Glossary
atoms the smallest parts of an
element (p. 7)

bond a connection between atoms

that are joined together to
form a molecule (p. 10)

chemical change a change in the chemical

makeup of a substance
(p. 12)

chemical reaction the process by which atoms

form bonds (p. 10)

compound a combination of two or

more elements (p. 11)

concentrated how much of a substance is

present in a solution (p. 16)

electrons particles that are part of

Conclusion
an atom and that orbit
Everything we can see, touch, or smell the nucleus; they have
is matter. And all that matter is made from a negative electrical charge
a small group of elements. These elements (p. 7)
combine in many ways to make all the things
elements substances that cannot be
you see around you.
broken down into simpler
Without elements and the many combinations substances (p. 5)
they make, our world could not exist.
21 22
matter anything that takes up space protons tiny particles that are part
and has weight (p. 4) of the nucleus of an atom;
they have a positive
mixtures combinations of substances
electrical charge (p. 7)
in which chemical reactions
do not occur (p. 15) saturated being at the point at which
no more of a liquid, solid,
molecule the smallest part of a
or gas can be absorbed
substance that can exist
by a solution at a given
by itself, made of two
temperature (p. 16)
or more atoms (p. 10)
solution a mixture in which the atoms
neutrons particles in the nucleus
of a solid separate and
of an atom that have no
become invisible in a liquid
electrical charge (p. 7)
(p. 15)
nucleus the positively charged
suspension a mixture of a liquid and
central region of an atom,
a solid in which the solid
consisting of protons and
does not dissolve (p. 19)
neutrons, and containing
most of the atom’s mass Index
(p. 7)
chemical formula, 11
physical change a change in the size, shape, chemical symbol, 6
or color of a substance that rust, 12
does not change it into a signs of chemical change, 13–14
different substance (p. 12) states of matter, 12

23 24