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wasteofo2
- 478
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I took Honors Chemistry this year with the assumption I might actually get some good questions answered, but alas, no such luck. When we went over different stages of matter, the teacher used those little diagrams I'm sure you've all seen to describe how solids, liquids and gasses differ. The diagrams where solids were little balls connected in a crystal-lattice structure by little rods, liquids were little balls just piled atop one another, and gasses were little balls floating all over the place.
Now, I understand that liquids have more energy than solids, and thus there's more atomic motion, but still, based on these diagrams, I don't understand why that excess energy you need to go from solid to liquid doesn't break the strong bonds that hold solid particles in place, and allow the particles to essentially collapse in on that vacant space that was kept vacant by bonds keeping all the solid particles strictly in place.
Can someone try to explain to me why all substances aren't like water, in that the solid state of the molecule expands from the liquid state?
Thanks alot,
Jacob
Now, I understand that liquids have more energy than solids, and thus there's more atomic motion, but still, based on these diagrams, I don't understand why that excess energy you need to go from solid to liquid doesn't break the strong bonds that hold solid particles in place, and allow the particles to essentially collapse in on that vacant space that was kept vacant by bonds keeping all the solid particles strictly in place.
Can someone try to explain to me why all substances aren't like water, in that the solid state of the molecule expands from the liquid state?
Thanks alot,
Jacob
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