Gases, liquids and solids are all made up of microscopic particles, but the behaviors of these particles differ in the three phases.The following figure illustrates the microscopic differences.
See Also
Movement of particlesLesson 1.4: Moving Molecules in a Solid - American Chemical SocietyHeat- Energy on the MoveMATTER & ATOMS / STATES OF MATTER |  |  |
| Microscopic view of a gas. | Microscopic view of a liquid. | Microscopic view of a solid. |
Note that:
- Particles in a:
- gas are well separated with no regular arrangement.
- liquid are close together with no regular arrangement.
- solid are tightly packed, usually in a regular pattern.
- Particles in a:
- gas vibrate and move freely at high speeds.
- liquid vibrate, move about, and slide past each other.
- solid vibrate (jiggle) but generally do not move from place to place.
The following table summarizes properties of gases, liquids, and solidsand identifies the microscopic behavior responsible for each property.
| Some Characteristicsof Gases, Liquids and Solids and the Microscopic Explanation for the Behavior | ||
|---|---|---|
| gas | liquid | solid |
| assumes the shape and volume of its container particles can move past one another | assumes the shape of the part of the container which itoccupies particles can move/slide past one another | retains a fixed volume and shape rigid - particles locked into place |
| compressible lots of free space between particles | not easily compressible little free space between particles | not easily compressible little free space between particles |
| flows easily particles can move past one another | flows easily particles can move/slide past one another | does not flow easily rigid - particles cannot move/slide past oneanother |
