What are the substances? What are the substances in nature?

Even in junior classes in school, children are told what substances are, give simple examples and explain what substances are.

Definition of the word "substance"

Simply put, a substance can be called all that which any body consists of. In the older classes, matter is the matter from which the physical body is composed, and it has certain physical and chemical properties. A substance is also called a set of atoms or molecules that are in a certain aggregate state. All substances make up a certain body. Basically, we intersect with its solid state, in which the particles can keep their shape and not spread. But it can contain liquid and gaseous substances. That is, what are substances and bodies in terms of origin? The bodies can be created by nature and through human intervention. An ordinary stone that lies in the mountains was created by nature, and a mineral grown in the laboratory, inserted into the frame, is already the work of man, an artificial body. But all the substances that are simple (we'll talk about this later) are created by nature. Their different mixtures could already be created by people, but the main basis was laid by it. Answering the question, what are the substances and bodies, we can say that they are divided into natural and artificially created.

Types of substances by the interaction of particles, or aggregate state

The substance is divided into several groups according to different characteristics. Thus, it is possible to characterize what substances are, depending on the interaction of the particles. Strong interaction of particles is characteristic for solids. Gases are characterized by an almost absolute lack of interaction. Liquid substances are in the middle between solid and gaseous material - the particles interact, but not as much as in solids. This property is explained by the fact that there are gaps between the particles that make up the material, and in the solid materials these gaps are very small, and in gaseous they are huge. The same groups of substances are separated by the kinetic energy available in the particles and by the potential energy of the interaction. In liquids, these energies are practically comparable. In solids, the potential energy is predominant , in gases, on the contrary, the kinetic energy. The answer to the question, what are the substances in nature, can be any of these options. Any of the above states or characteristics are found both in objects created by nature, and in things that have emerged as a result of human activity.

It is interesting that one substance can be in different states. So, the simplest example is water. At low temperatures, the liquid turns into ice, into a solid body. When the temperature rises to 100 degrees Celsius and above, the water from the liquid turns into gas.

Separation of substances in the chemical plan

In chemistry, it is customary to distribute substances into two main categories: individual substances and mixtures. That is, what are the substances in chemistry? Pure before, and now individual substances are those that can not be divided into simpler parts, they are indivisible. Mixtures are materials that have several components in their composition. In fact, it turns out that the mixture can consist of several individual substances.

In turn, an individual substance can be simple or complex. The simple is a substance that consists of atoms of only one chemical element, complex - from several: two or more. A simple is also called elementary, and a complex substance is called a compound.

As it was said before, the mixture consists of several pure substances, and in this respect they are divided into homogeneous and heterogeneous, or solutions and mechanical mixtures. A simple example of what kind of substance is a solution type is ordinary tea. It consists of two or three components - water, welding and sugar. Sugar is homogeneously placed on the water and it can not be found except for taste. But if a lot of sugar is poured into tea, and it does not dissolve completely, then it will be a mechanical mixture. Part of the sugar will dissolve, and some will lie on the bottom. Because of this and the tea samples in the upper layers will be slightly different, at the bottom it will be sweeter, and at the top - less. The mixture will also be an elementary mixture of sand and sugar. Particles will be mixed, they will be difficult to separate, but they will remain at their properties, rather than create new connections.

Organic and inorganic substances

On the question, what are the substances in nature, you can answer: organic and inorganic. Inorganic is any substance that can be formed without the participation of a living organism and forms an inanimate nature. Organic matter is diametrically opposed - it is formed only with the participation of a living organism and is part of this very living organism. An example of an inorganic substance is again all the known, available and so necessary water for life, also air, namely oxygen, various mineral salts. Organic substances include fats, carbohydrates, pigments, proteins. It's funny that the section on this type was made from the opinion of scientists about living beings as special organic compounds, and all other objects of inanimate nature were enrolled to inorganic ones. As it turned out later, there are many inorganic substances in the human body, as, indeed, in the body of any animal on our planet.

A distinctive feature of organic substances is that almost all of them have carbon. Most inorganic substances have a high melting point and boiling point, organic - on the contrary.

Fire Safety Division

It is interesting that the question, what are the substances and materials, firefighter, most likely will respond - flammable and non-flammable. Between them there are still difficult to ignite, which can ignite if there is a constant effect of the flame, but if the source is removed, it will go out. Accordingly, a combustible substance or material is capable of burning when exposed to a source, and may even self-ignite. A noncombustible substance can not burn in the air. More details about this all children learn at the lessons of labor protection or safety of life.

Influence on the human body

All substances in nature can be divided into dangerous and safe. To the dangerous can be considered those that have already been mentioned above - burning. What is the danger? They can damage the health of a person who will be in the fire. This will be a physical effect on the skin: burns or exposure to internal organs through the respiratory tract. By the way, in the same way, negative impact occurs during smoking. Smoking is not only tobacco products, which contain many known harmful substances for the human body, but also narcotic drugs.

What are the drugs?

Not all of the drugs are taken by smoking, some of them are injected into a vein, inhaled as a powder through the nose or eaten as a pill. But all of them have side effects, despite the fact that before that they could bring a feeling of joy and happiness, high spirits or some other positive effect. All these effects are short-lived, but the fact that the harm from them will definitely last much longer, everyone knows.

conclusions

If you ask a child: "Tell me what substances and materials are, give examples," then he will have many different answers. It is important to make it clear to the student that the same substance can belong to several species, which were listed above, differ in certain characteristics. From a very young age, knowledge about what kinds of substances happen, will expand as the school sciences are studied.