Any substance that occupies physical space and has a specific volume is referred to as “matter”.  Matter is a substance that is made up of various types of particles, including molecules, atoms, and subatomic particles, as well as mixtures of compounds. It has been further divided into some fundamental states, such as solids, liquids, and gases. Water has a unique characteristic to represent all these states of matter. These states of matter have different properties, which can be described by looking at the arrangement of their particles. In solids, particles are tightly packed in definite patterns and shapes. In liquids, particles are also closely packed, but the attractive forces are not strong enough like solids. Gases have no structure at all. In this article, we will briefly explain solids, liquids, gases, and their properties.

Solid is one of the fundamental states of matter. Solids have a fixed shape, mass, and definite volume. The particles of solids are very close to each other. They cannot move around freely because of the strong intermolecular forces. These intermolecular forces keep the constituent particles tightly packed. Examples of solids include pens, chairs, paper, etc. Solids can be further classified as amorphous and crystalline solids. Amorphous solids are those in which atoms and molecules are not arranged in a definite pattern, e.g., glass and plastics. Crystalline solids are composed of particles that are arranged in a definite geometric pattern, e.g., sand and salt. Solids have unique characteristics, which are mentioned below:

A liquid is a state of matter that is nearly incompressible. Although they do not have a fixed shape, they possess definite mass and volume. Liquids are comprised of tiny vibrating particles that are bound together by intermolecular forces. The intermolecular attractive forces among the particles of liquids are not as strong as seen in solids, however, they keep neighboring molecules relatively close to each other. 

Liquids have neither the completely ordered structure of a solid crystal nor the complete randomness of an ideal gas. Therefore, the structure of liquids is intermediate between solids and gases. The properties of liquids that are particularly important are mentioned below:

The gaseous state is one of the three forms in which matter exists. Gases can be composed of a single element, such as hydrogen gas(H₂), a compound, such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), or a mixture of several gases, such as air. The intermolecular forces are very weak among the particles of gas, making the intermolecular distance relatively large. As a result, the gas particles are constantly in random motion. Therefore, gases have no structure at all. 

Gases can be classified as monoatomic, diatomic, triatomic, and polyatomic. Gases have unique characteristics that are given below:

Summary