Classifying Matter

Did you know that according to the Chemical Abstracts Registry Service, there are more than 90 million unique chemical substances?



B2.2 Various chemical formulas
B2.3 Element
Knowing that, it may seem like studying chemistry is a huge, impossible task! But once we categorize matter based on similar properties, this task becomes manageable.

Matter is anything that takes up space and has mass. Matter is categorized as either a pure substance or a mixture. Pure substances contain only one material, while mixtures are combinations of substances that can be separated by physical means.

Pure substances can be further classified as elements and compounds. Elements are substances that only contain one type of particle and cannot be broken down further by chemical means. Compounds are combinations of two or more elements and these can be broken down into simpler substances (elements) by chemical means.
B2.4 Compound

B2.5 Solution
Mixtures can be subdivided into two categories: homogenous and heterogeneous. Homogenous (solutions) mixtures look as if they contain only one material—they look uniform. Heterogeneous mixtures are composed of different components that are distinctly visible.

B2.6 Mixture

The rest of this lesson will focus on elements and the fundamental particle that elements are composed of—the atom.

  Read This

Please read pages 12 to 15 in your Science 10 textbook. Make sure you take notes on your readings to study from later. You should focus on classifying matter. Remember, if you have any questions or you do not understand something, ask your teacher!

  Practice Questions

Complete the following practice questions to check your understanding of the concept you just learned. Make sure you write complete answers to the practice questions in your notes. After you have checked your answers, make corrections to your responses (where necessary) to study from.

  1. Classify each of the following substances as an element, compound, homogenous mixture, or heterogeneous mixture.

    Substance Classification
    soil
    limestone (CaCO3)
    apple juice
    orange juice with pulp
    gold
    baking soda (NaHCO3)
    propane (C3H8)
    tap water
    the Bow River
    oxygen
    air
    vinegar
    iron filings
    table sugar
    rusty iron
    mercury
    milk
    chromium
    acetylene (C2H2)
    paper

    Substance Classification
    soil heterogeneous
    limestone (CaCO3) compound
    apple juice
    		homogeneous
    orange juice with pulp heterogeneous
    gold element
    baking soda (NaHCO3) compound
    propane (C3H8) compound
    tap water
    		homogeneous
    the Bow River
    		heterogeneous
    oxygen element
    air homogeneous
    vinegar homogeneous
    iron filings
    		element
    table sugar
    		compound
    rusty iron
    		heterogeneous
    mercury element
    milk heterogeneous
    chromium element
    acetylene (C2H2) compound
    paper heterogeneous