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Science and Technology
Organization of Matter

Organization of Matter

Secondary 1-4

Matter makes up all substances that have a mass and occupy space.

All substances in the Universe, whether they are solid, liquid or gaseous, living or nonliving, are made of matter. For example, pen ink, cell phone components, a dog, the air we breathe and the Sun are all made of matter.

Choose your level.

Secondary 1-2

Matter consists of small particles, called atoms, that are invisible to the naked eye. There are different types of atoms and they can exist on their own or bond with other atoms.

Atoms and Molecules

Atoms and Molecules

Atoms

An atom is a particle of matter invisible to the naked eye. It is a building unit of molecules. To find out more about atoms, check out this concept sheet:

Molecules

A molecule is a group of two or more atoms of the same or different types chemically bonded together. To find out more about molecules, check out this concept sheet:

Elements

An element corresponds to one type of atom. The elements are organized in the periodic table of elements. To find out more about the periodic table of the elements, check out this concept sheet:

Examples

Atoms, molecules and elements can be seen in the images of the following substances.

In this image of methane, the following particles can be identified:

  • There are 5 atoms: 1 atom of carbon (C) and 4 atoms of hydrogen (H).

  • There is 1 molecule because it is a group of several atoms bonded together.

  • There are 2 elements because there are 2 types of atoms: hydrogen (H) and carbon (C).

A methane molecule made up of one black ball (C) and 4 white balls (H).

Methane

In this image of nitrogen, the following particles can be identified:

  • There are 2 atoms: 2 atoms of nitrogen (N).

  • There is 1 molecule because it is a group of several atoms bonded together.

  • There is 1 element because there is only 1 type of atom: nitrogen (N).

A molecule of nitrogen made of two blue balls (N).

Nitrogen

Exercise

Exercise

Atoms, Molecules and Elements

Science and Technology Secondary1-2

See Also

Secondary 3

All substances are made up of matter, whether they are pure substances, homogeneous mixtures (solutions) or heterogeneous mixtures.

A pure substance can be made up of different types of particles, either elements or compounds, which are also atoms or molecules. A mixture is made up of different pure substances mixed together.

The organization, properties and behaviour of these particles of matter can be represented and explained using the particle model.

A flow chart showing that matter is made up of pure substances and mixtures. Pure substances are elements or compounds. Elements can be atoms or molecules. Compounds are molecules. Mixtures can be homogeneous (solutions) or heterogeneous.

Pure Substances, Mixtures and Solutions

  • A pure substance is made up of a single type of particle.

  • A heterogeneous mixture is made up of several pure substances and it is possible to distinguish several components.

  • A homogeneous mixture is made up of several pure substances and it is impossible to distinguish the components.

  • A solution is a homogeneous mixture in which one substance, called the solute, is dissolved in another, called the solvent.

To find out more about pure substances, mixtures and solutions, check out these concept sheets:

Three substances are represented: one by light blue balls (He), one by groups of two blue balls (N2) and one by groups of two white balls and one red ball (H2O).

Three pure substances

All three substances contain a single type of particle. The substance on the left contains only helium atoms (He), the substance in the centre contains only nitrogen molecules (N2) and the substance on the right contains only water molecules (H2O).

A mixture is represented by light blue balls (He), groups of two blue balls (N2) and groups of two white balls and one red ball (H2O).

A mixture

The substance contains different types of particles. It is a mixture of helium (He), nitrogen (N2) and water (H2O).

Particles

Whether it's a pure substance or a mixture, a substance is made up of particles. Here are four ways of describing them, depending on their structure.

  • An atom is a particle of matter invisible to the naked eye. It is the building unit of a molecule.

  • A molecule is a particle made up of at least two atoms chemically bonded together.

  • An element is a particle made up of only one type of atom.

  • A compound is a particle made up of several types of atoms.

Atoms and Molecules

Atoms and Molecules

Elements and Compounds

Elements and Compounds

Tip

To identify whether a particle is an atom, an element, a molecule and/or a compound, it is helpful to ask the following questions:

If the particle is made of a single atom, it is an atom and an element. If there are several atoms, it is a molecule. If the molecule contains only one type of atom, it is also an element. If the molecule contains several types of atoms, it is also a compound.

The classification of particles.

Exercise

Exercise

Atoms, Molecules, Elements, Compounds and Pure Substances

Science and Technology Secondary3

See Also

Secondary 4

Particles

Matter is made up of particles. Here are four ways of describing particles, according to their structure.

  • An atom is a particle of matter invisible to the naked eye. It is the building unit of molecules and compounds in general.

  • An element is a particle made up of only one type of atom.

  • A compound is a particle made up of several types of chemically bonded atoms.

  • A molecule is a particle made up of at least two non-metals chemically bonded together.

The atom can be represented using the following models:

Compounds are groups of different atoms linked by ionic or covalent chemical bonds. Molecules are groups of atoms linked by covalent bonds.

To find out more about chemical bonds and proper ways of naming molecules and compounds, check out the following concept sheets:

Since atoms, molecules and compounds are present in substances in very large quantities, we use moles to count them and molar mass to measure their mass.

The Periodic Table

The periodic table organizes all the chemical elements. They are classified according to the composition of their nucleus, their electron configuration and their properties.

To find out more about the periodic table, check out the following concept sheets:

Solutions

A solution is a homogeneous mixture in which one substance, called the solute, is dissolved in another, called the solvent.

To find out more about solutions, check out the following concept sheets:

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