THE KINETIC MOLECULAR

THEORY OF MATTER
HAVE YOU EVER BROUGHT ICE
CREAM ON A HOT SUMMER DAY?
•If yes, then you must have noticed how ice cream, when taken out of
the freezer, takes a definite shape, but when exposed in the summer
heat, slowly loses its form and melts.
 LEARN ABOUT THEORIES GOVERNING THE
DIFFERENT STATES OF MATTER.

LEARN THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE

DIFFERENT MACROSCCOPIC PROPERTIES
OF MATTER TO THAT OF ITS MOLECULAR
INTERACTIONS.

OBJECTIVES
DESCRIBE THE KINETIC
MOLECULAR THEORY OF MATTER

COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE DIFFERENT

STATES OF MATTER BASED ON THE KINETIC
MOLECULAR MODEL 
WHAT IS THE KINETIC
MOLECULAR THEORY?
• Theory of treating samples of matter as a large
number of small particles (atoms or molecules),
all of which are in constant, random motion
• Offers a description of the microscopic properties
of atoms (or molecules) and their interactions,
leading to observable macroscopic properties
(such as pressure, volume, temperature).
•  helps to explain why matter exists in different
phases (solid, liquid, and gas) and how matter
can change from one phase to the next.
WHAT DOES THE
KINETIC MOLECULAR
THEORY STATE?
IT STATES THAT ...
The molecules interact with one
another through attractive forces.
Matter is composed of small
The strength of these forces is
particles.
related to the distance between
the particles.
Click to add text

The temperature of a substance is a

These molecules are always in
measure of the average kinetic
constant random motion.
energy of the molecules.
MATTER IS
COMPOSED OF
SMALLER
PARTICLES
CALLED ATOMS
BILLIARD BALL MODEL (JOHN DALTON) 
All substances are made of atoms - the smallest
particles of matter. They cannot be divided into
smaller particles, created, or destroyed.

All atoms of the same element are alike and have

the same mass. Atoms of different elements are
different and have different masses.

Atoms join together to form compounds, and a

given compound always consists of the same
kinds of atoms in the same proportions.
BILLIARD BALL MODEL (JOHN DALTON) 
Because Dalton thought atoms
were the smallest particles of
matter, he envisioned them
as solid, hard spheres, like billiard
(pool) balls, so he used wooden
balls to model them.

The holes in the balls are added 

so the model atoms could be
joined together with hooks and
used to model compounds.
PLUM PUDDING MODEL
(JJ THOMPSON)
substance is consists of small spheres
which are having the radius of about
10-10 m in diameter. 

The positive charge is spread

uniformly throughout the volume of
sphere called pudding. 

The negatively charged particles

Electrons called Plums are distributed
as point charges in shells 
NUCLEAR MODEL
(ERNEST RUTHERFORD)
•CONDUCTED AN EXPERIMENT YEARS
AFTER JJ THOMPSON DEVELOPED THE
PLUM PUDDING MODEL
•CONCLUDED THAT ALL OF THE POSITIVE
CHARGE AND THE MAJORITY OF THE
MASS OF THE ATOM MUST BE
CONCENTRATED IN A VERY SMALL SPACE
IN THE ATOM’S INTERIOR, WHICH HE
CALLED THE NUCLEUS - THE TINY, DENSE,
CENTRAL CORE OF THE ATOM AND IS
COMPOSED OF PROTONS AND
NEUTRONS.
NUCLEAR MODEL • THE NUCLEUS IS
COMPOSED OF THE
(ERNEST RUTHERFORD) PROTON (POSITIVELY-
CHARGED)  AND
NEUTRON (NEUTRAL) ,
WHICH COMPRISES
MOST OF THE ATOM'S
MASS
• THE ELECTRONS
(NEGATIVELY-
CHARGED)
AREDISTRIBUTED
AROUND THE NUCLEUS
AND OCCUPY MOST OF
THE VOLUME OF THE
ATOM
MATTER IS
COMPOSED OF
SMALL PARTICLES
• ATOMS ARE THE BUILDING
BLOCKS OF MATTER
• IT IS A PARTICLE OF
MATTER THAT UNIQUELY
DEFINES A CHEMICAL
ELEMENT
 • A MOLECULE is a group of
two or more atoms that form
the smallest identifiable unit
MATTER CAN ALSO into which a pure substance
can be divided and still retain
EXIST AS the composition and chemical
MOLECULES properties of that substance.
• It is an electrically neutral
group of atoms joined
together by chemical bond
MOLECULES INTERACT THROUGH
ATTRACTIVE FORCES
• THE ATTRACTIVE FORCES BETWEEN A MOLECULE
ARE REFERRED TO AS INTERMOLECULAR
FORCES

• THE STRONGER THE INTERACTION BETWEEN

TWO MOLECULES, THE SMALLER THEIR DISTANCE
WILL BE.
MOLECULES INTERACT THROUGH
ATTRACTIVE FORCES
MOLECULES ARE IN CONSTANT
RANDOM MOTION

• All molecules are in constant random motion.

• The extent of their motion varies depending on the

temperature and strength of the interaction between
the particles. 
SOLIDS
• Solids have particles with strong intermolecular forces
such that their particles are very close to one another.
• They have ordered arrangement and particles are
essentially in fixed positions
• Since they have low kinetic energy, particles have no
"time" to move around and thus have more "time" to be
attracted 
• They have restricted motion due to the strong force between them,
thus particles of solids are only able to vibrate back and forth
around a specific point or location.
LIQUIDS
• LIQUIDS HAVE INTERMEDIATE INTERMOLECULAR FORCES. THIS
MAKES LIQUID PARTICLES FARTHER FROM ONE ANOTHER
COMPARED TO THOSE IN SOLIDS. 
• PARTICLES OR CLUSTER OF PARTICLES IN LIQUIDS ARE FREE TO
MOVE RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER 
• PARTICLES ARE QUITE CLOSE TOGETHER AND MOVE WITH RANDOM
MOTION THROUGHOUT THE CONTAINER
• PARTICLES IN LIQUIDS HAVE RESTRICTED MOTION TO SMALL
DISTANCES AS THEY WILL COLLIDE WITH ANOTHER MOLECULE
GASES

• GASES HAVE PARTICLES THAT ARE VERY FAR APART

FROM ONE ANOTHER DUE TO WEAK INTERMOLECULAR
FORCES.
• PARTICLES ARE IN TOTAL DISORDER AND
HAVE COMPLETE FREEDOM OF MOTION
• PARTICLES ARE ABLE TO MOVE FREELY IN RELATIVELY
LONG DISTANCES BEFORE COLLIDING WITH ANOTHER
MOLECULE
 A VISUAL • https://lab.concord.org/embedd
able.html#interactives/sam/phas
e-change/5-interatomic-interacti

REPRESENTATION  ons-and-states.json
TEMPERATURE IS A MEASURE OF THE
AVERAGE KINETIC ENERGY
• WHEN TEMPERATURE INCREASES, THE AVERAGE KINETIC ENERGY
ALSO INCREASES
 WE ALL KNOW THE THREE STATES OF MATTER

Shape Volume Compressibilit

State of Matter
y
virtually
solid fixed shape fixed volume
incompressible
depends on the only slightly
liquid fixed volume
container compressible
assumes the
depends on the very
gas volume of the
container compressible
container
HOW CAN THE
KINETIC
MOLECULAR
THEORY
EXPLAIN THE
PROPERTIES OF
EACH STATE OF
MATTER?
THERE ARE TWO FACTORS:

1. TEMPERATURE 2. STRENGTH OF INTERMOLECULAR

FORCES OF ATTRACTION
 AS EXPLAINED BY
THE KMT
• At lower temperatures, intermolecular
forces determine the state of a
substance.  
• Substances with intermediate to
strong intermolecular forces will form
a condensed phase, either solid or
liquid.  
• Those with weak intermolecular forces
will be in the gaseous state.
 HOW DOES THE KINETIC
MOLECULAR THEORY
EXPLAIN PHASE CHANGES?
 Recall that a  higher temperature
means a higher average kinetic energy.

This means that the particles will have

PHASE enough energy to move around faster.
CHANGES
Increasing the temperature also
weakens the intermolecular forces of
attraction.
The molecules in ice
vibrates back and forth to
a specific location since it
is in the solid phase. When
the temperature is
increased, enough kinetic
energy is provided to
overcome the strong
intermolecular forces,
turning the solid ice into
liquid water (MELTING). 
When the liquid water is
heated, its particles start
to move freely around
each other in relatively
longer distances. As the
heating continues, the
average kinetic energy
increases, turning the
liquid water into its
gaseous form
(VAPORIZATION).
TAKE NOTE:
A CHANGE IN PHASE
OCCURS BECAUSE THERE
IS A CHANGE IN THE
ENERGY OF THE PARTICLES
EXERCISE 1. IDENTIFY THE STATE OF MATTER
DESCRIBED BELOW

1. The particles vibrate at a specific location only.

2. The particles  move about in relatively short
distances.
3. The particles move in longer distances.
TO SUM IT UP
• The kinetic molecular theory states that:
• Matter is composed of small particles.
• The molecules interact with one
another through attractive forces. The
strength of these forces is related to
the distance between the particles.
• These molecules are always in
constant random motion.
• The temperature of a substance is a
measure of the average kinetic energy
of the molecules.
TO SUM IT UP
• Solids have particles with strong
intermolecular forces that cause the
particles to be close together.
• This causes the particles’ motion to
be restricted to vibrations.
TO SUM IT UP
• Liquids have particles with
intermediate intermolecular forces
that cause the particles to be
farther apart from each other than
in solids.
• This allows the particles to move
about but in relatively short
distances.
TO SUM IT UP
• Gases have particles with
negligible intermolecular forces
that cause the particles to be very
far apart from one another.
• Due to the large distances
between particles, the molecules
are able to move in long distances.
TO SUM IT UP
• The average kinetic energy of the
molecules can be measured by
determining the temperature.
TO SUM IT UP
• The physical state of matter is
affected by both kinetic energy and
intermolecular forces. 
• At low temperatures, intermolecular
forces dominate. 
• At high temperatures, the molecules
have higher kinetic energy and will be
able to overcome the intermolecular
forces present.
SOURCE
• Brown T.L. et al. Chemistry: The Central Science. Pearson Prentice -Hall, 2005.
• Boundless. “Kinetic Molecular Theory and Gas Laws.” Boundless Chemistry. Accessed
August 12, 2016.
https://www.boundless.com/chemistry/textbooks/boundless-chemistry-textbook/gas
es-5/kinetic-molecular-the

• Chang, Raymond, and Kenneth A. Goldsby. General Chemistry: the Essential Concepts.
New York: McGraw-Hill, 2014.
• Petrucci, Ralph H. General Chemistry: Principles and Modern Applications. Toronto,
Ont.: Pearson Canada, 2011. Print.
• Silberberg, Martin S. Principles of General Chemistry. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013.