Matter

What is matter?

Matter is anything that has mass, volume, and take up space.

Matter can be classified in two categories: Pure substances and Mixtures.

PURE SUBSTANCE

Pure substances has one set of properties and are one kind of particle.  They can be either elements or compounds.

A element is made of atoms and is the simplest form of a pure substance and con not be decomposed.  Elements are also separated in two categories of metal and non-metal.

Compounds are made of elements that are chemically combined.  They are the smallest particles of a molecule.  Compounds are classified as ionic and covalent compounds depending on what element that are combining with.

MIXTURE

Mixtures have sets of properties and are a mix of substances.  Two categories of mixtures are Homogeneous and Heterogeneous.  Homogeneous are uniform and appear to have only one component.  Heterogeneous are not uniform and appear to have more than one component. 

Physical Vs. Chemical Change

Physical changes are changes that result in no new substances are formed and are reversible.  Chemical changes are changes that new substances are formed and are not reversible.  For example, freezing water into ice is a physical change because no new substance is formed and the ice can be changed back into water.  Burning wood is a chemical change because it makes ashes and the new substance can not be changed back into wood.