State of matter affects reactivity from "summary" of Chemistry: Principles and Reactions by William L. Masterton,Cecile N. Hurley
The state of matter can determine the reactivity of substances. Solid, liquid or gas, each can react differently to different elements and influences. It is important to understand how the state of matter affects the reactivity of a substance.- The physical state of a substance immensely affects the reactivity of the atoms and molecules within it. Gases, liquids, and solids are the three primary states of matter, and each state has specific principles that determine how quickly a reaction can take place.
- Liquid molecules interact in a different way from those found in gases; they have less freedom of movement but can still drift around and mix together more rapidly than solid particles. As such, liquid substances tend to have a moderately increased rate of reactivity compared to solids.
- A gas is made up of particles with plenty of freedom to move around and bounce off one another. When reactive chemicals come into contact with each other in a gaseous state, reactions occur at faster rates than in all other phases of matter.
- When experimenting with reactions of matter, we must consider the degree of reactivity - electrons of a certain element may vary between states, making some elements more reactive than others under comparable conditions.
- It’s clear that the physical state of a substance directly impacts its reactivity – when looking to make chemical changes, one should keep this in mind and adjust accordingly!
- Solids, on the other hand, consist of close-knit particles which cannot separate easily, reducing their ability to react as significantly as gases and liquids. Although some chemical reactions can take place within a solid substance, the rate of reaction tends to be considerably slow.
- Different solvents provide unique environments for a reaction depending on the polarization of the molecule, leading to vastly dissimilar results in organic chemistry.
