Anything that occupies space and has mass is called matter. There are a large number of things present in different shapes, sizes, and textures. Sand, sugar, hydrogen, oxygen, air, water, petrol, etc., are all different kinds of matter because they occupy space and have volume and mass.

What are the characteristics of particles of matter?

• The particles of matter are very, very small.
• The particles of matter have spaces between them.
• The particles of matter move constantly.
• The particles of matter attract each other.

Diffusion: The physical process in which a substance tends to spread steadily from regions of high concentration to regions of lower concentration is called diffusion.

Let us understand how particles of matter move constantly.

With the help of diffusion and Brownian motion, we can prove that particles of matter move constantly. We will describe two experiments that involve diffusion in gases and diffusion in liquids.

When we burn an incense stick in one corner of the room, its fragrance or the pleasant smell of it spreads in the whole room quickly. This can be explained as follows: The burning of incense sticks produces gases or vapours with having pleasant smell. The particles of gases produced by the burning of incense stick move rapidly in all directions, mix with the moving particles of air in the room and reach every part of the room quickly along with the air.

Now, we will study the diffusion of potassium permanganate into water. When a few crystals of KMnO4 are placed at the bottom of a beaker containing water, the water in the whole beaker turns purple slowly.

Watch this video to learn more about chemistry.

Requirements for this Science Experiment

⦁ Incense sticks ⦁ Blue ink ⦁ Honey ⦁ Distilled water ⦁ Potassium permanganate crystals ⦁ Bunsen burner ⦁ Tripod Stand ⦁ Wire gauze ⦁ Dropper ⦁ Beakers