S tat e s o f m at t e r
Questions
Core curriculum
1 A large crystal of potassium manganate(VII) was
placed in the bottom of a beaker of cold water, and
left for several hours.
cold water
crystal of potassium manganate(VII)
a Describe what would be seen:
i after five minutes   ii  after several hours
b Explain your answers using the idea of particles.
c Name the two processes that took place during
the experiment.
2 Use the idea of particles to explain why:
a solids have a definite shape
b liquids fill the bottom of a container
c you can’t store gases in open containers
d you can’t squeeze a sealed plastic syringe that is
completely full of water
e a balloon expands as you blow into it.
3 Below is a heating curve for a pure substance. It
shows how the temperature rises over time, when
the substance is heated until it melts, then boils.
a What is the melting point of the substance?
b What happens to the temperature while the
substance changes state?
c The graph shows that the substance takes longer
to boil than to melt. Suggest a reason for this.
d How can you tell that the substance is not water?
f Sketch a rough heating curve for pure water.
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4 A cooling curve is the opposite of a heating curve.
It shows how the temperature of a substance
changes with time, as it is cooled from a gas to a
solid. Here is the cooling curve for one substance:
a What is the state of the substance at room
temperature (20 °C)?
b Use the list of melting and boiling points on
page 9 to identify the substance.
c Sketch a cooling curve for pure water.
5 Using the idea of particles explain why:
a the smell of burnt food travels through the house
b when two solids are placed on top of each other,
they do not mix
c pumping up your bike tyres gives a smooth ride
d smokers can cause lung damage in other people
e heating a gas in a closed container will increase
its pressure
f a liquid is used in a car’s breaking system, to
transfer the pressure from the brake pedal
g poisonous gases from a factory chimney can
affect a large area.
6 a Which of these are examples of diffusion?
i a helium-filled balloon rising in air
ii a hydrogen-filled balloon deflating, due to
gas passing through the skin
iii the smell of perfume from a person
standing on the other side of a room
iv sucking a drink from a bottle, using a straw
v an ice lolly turning liquid when it is left out
of the freezer
vi the tea in the cup changing colour when
you add milk, without stirring
vii a light, coloured gas, spreading down
through a gas jar
viii a blue crystal forming a blue solution, when
it is left sitting in a glass of water
ix spraying paint from a spray can.
b For one of the examples of diffusion, draw a
diagram showing the particles before and after
diffusion has taken place.
S tat e s o f m at t e r

Extended curriculum c Explain your answer to b. Use the term mass!

7 You can measure the rate of diffusion of a gas d The molecules in carbon dioxide are heavier
using this apparatus. The gas enters through the than those in nitrogen and oxygen.
thin tube: So what do you think will happen to the water
H2 air
in the measuring tube, when you use carbon
hydrogen plug of dioxide? Explain your answer.
gas (H2) in porous plaster
0
8 Gas Formula Relative atomic or
molecular mass
10
methane CH4 16
20 helium He 4
water rising
in tube oxygen O2 32
30
nitrogen N2 28
water 40 chlorine Cl2 71

Look at the table above.

a Which two gases will mix fastest? Explain.
The measuring tube is sealed at the top with a plug
b Which gas will take least time to escape from a
of porous plaster. Air and other gases can diffuse in
gas syringe?
and out through the tiny holes in the plug.
c Would you expect chlorine to diffuse more
The water rises in the measuring tube if the chosen slowly than the gases in air? Explain.
gas diffuses out through the plug faster than air d An unknown gas diffuses faster than nitrogen,
diffuses in. Air is mainly nitrogen and oxygen. but more slowly than methane. What you can
a When you use hydrogen gas, the water rises in say about its relative molecular mass?
the measuring tube. Why?
b What does this tell you about the rate of diffusion
of hydrogen, compared to the gases in air?

© OUP: this may be reproduced for class use solely for the purchaser’s institute