Liquid vs Gas
Every substance found in our universe exists in one of the four phases namely solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. Though, plasma is one phase that is found more than the other three phases, it occurs more in hot stars and other planets. So it is mostly solids, liquids and gases that we come across. There are many similarities in liquids and gases though there are differences that need to be highlighted.
The best example of liquid and gas in our daily lives is water which is a liquid but becomes a gas when we provide heat to it bringing it to its boiling point. Steam that is produced is water in gaseous state. Another way where water turns into gaseous state is when evaporation takes place.
Liquid is that state of matter where the substance has a definite volume but no shape and takes the shape of the container in which it is placed. Molecules in a liquid are loosely arranged and they can easily move from one place to another indicating small intermolecular attraction. Liquids have a special property of flowing. They also have a property known as wetting which is a feeling of stickiness that is characteristic of all liquids. Different liquids have different viscosities which is the resistance shown by liquids to flowing. Another property of liquids is surface tension that makes the surface of the liquid to act as a thin elastic film. In the case of water, it is surface tension that allows it to make spherical drops.
Gas is that phase of matter where substance has no shape or volume of its own and occupies empty space wherever available. You must have noticed this property when a person wearing scent on body enters a room and the fragrance reaches even a person sitting in the remote corner of the room. Gases are made up of molecules that have very little intermolecular attraction thus moving freely in all directions. Molecules of a gas possess enough energy to overcome intermolecular attraction. This allows particles to move apart and gases thus have very low density.
Difference Between Liquid and Gas
• Both liquids and gases belong to a state of matter called plasma because of the shared characteristic of flowing.
• However, both have their own distinct properties. Liquids are less compressible than gases as they have greater intermolecular attraction.
• If you have a given mass of liquid, it will have a definite volume taking the shape of the container in which it is placed.
• On the other hand, gas has no fixed volume and continues to expand in every direction unless kept in a container that is closed.
• Whereas liquids form a free surface, this is not possible in the case of gases.