Intensive And Extensive Properties

The properties that characterize matter, whether physical or chemical, They are divided into Intensive and Extensive, by the criterion of whether or not they depend on the total mass of the substance.

Differentiating some properties from others is not difficult when analyzing matter. Intensive properties will have an advantage if the matter is homogeneous, since it will have a constant internal structure and it will be possible to start from a small sample of substance for analysis.

Intensive properties

Intensive properties are those that do not depend on the total amount of matter or mass, nor the size. When you study a substance, you can take a sample and study the sample. Any amount of substance will represent everything.

So it is with the Density, for example. Water will continue to have a density of 1 gr / cm³ if we only take 2 grams of it than if we take 120 grams. In other words, every 1 gram of water will still cover 1 cubic centimeter.

The Specific volume, which is the inverse of Density, does not depend on the total mass either, because with a sample we can determine the volume covered per unit mass. It will give the same if we take 4 grams than 200 grams to measure the specific volume. For water, for example, it will still be 1 cm

³/gr.

The viscosity it is another intensive property. It is the resistance that fluids oppose to flow. It does not matter if we use 50 grams of honey to measure its viscosity than 150 grams.

The electric conductivity it is another intensive property. If you take 100 grams of an electrolyte solution and measure the conductivity, the meter will give the same result if the measurement is made in 600 grams of the same solution.

The Temperature It is an intensive property as well, because a 10 gram sample of gas can be taken from a pipe to measure its temperature, and that temperature will be exactly equal to that of the entire mass of gas circulating through the net.

The Boiling point is another example of an intensive property, because it is the same to heat 10 grams of water on one side and 100 grams of water on the other, up to 100 ° C, which is the boiling point of water. Regardless of how much water there is, at that temperature both samples will boil.

The melting point it is another intensive property. Pure water in ice from the polar caps has the same melting point at 0 ° C as pure water in homemade ice.

The Concentration it is an important intensive property. If you are studying a homogeneous mixture, a small sample will suffice to know the state of the total mixture.

The Hardness it is also an intensive property, because a piece of material is as hard as the whole material.

The Heat of Solution It is also an intensive property, because it is defined by the enthalpy that occurs when the ionic bonds of the substance break when it becomes involved in a solution.

The Thermic dilatation coefficient it is an intensive property, because it can be studied either in a metal filament or in a large ingot. After heating, an elongation of the material may be noticed, which will always represent the metal in whatever mass.

The smell, taste, and texture They are also intensive properties of matter, because they can be appreciated with a small fraction that represents the total mass, without problem.

Extensive Properties

The extensive properties they are those that depend on the mass to establish themselves. If you want to know the state of a substance through extensive properties, you have to take into account the entire amount of matter present. In this case, the Volume and Weight are found.

The Volume is the first extensive property to be discussed. It is essential to use the total mass to know the volume that the substance covers. If a sample is taken, only that small volume will be known, and not the total required.

The Weight is another extensive property. Remembering Newton's second law, the Weight of a body results from multiplying the mass by the acceleration of gravity. If you want to know the weight of the body, you have to consider its entire mass. If we focus on a sample, we will only have the small value of the sample weight.