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In a very generic way, the properties of matter can be divided into intensive (or specific) properties and extensive (or general) properties, terms that were first used in 1917 thanks to the work of the physicist Richard Tolman.
It could be said that the intensive properties of matter are intrinsic to a substance, that is, they are part of its intimate nature and depend on it. They are also qualitative properties, that is, they do not depend on magnitudes, and each substance has intensive properties exclusively its own, which can be similar to those of another substance, but never exactly the same. For this reason, intensive properties serve to differentiate some substances from others.
For their part, the extensive properties depend not on the nature of the substances, but on the quantitative aspects of the sample of that substance that we are studying or handling.
Let’s see some examples that fully clarify what has been explained:
intensive properties
As stated, intensive properties do not depend on the amount of matter that is present. They vary from one substance to another, and for this reason they serve to differentiate the various substances. Some examples of intensive properties are:
- Boiling point , that is, the temperature at which the substance changes from a liquid to a gaseous state.
- Density.
- State of matter in question at room temperature (and others).
- Color.
- Melting point.
- Smell.
- temperature .
- Refractive index.
- Glow.
- Hardness.
- Ductility.
- Malleability.
These properties can be used to help identify a sample of a specific material, since these are characteristics that do not depend on the amount of sample, nor do they change depending on the conditions.
It must be taken into account that the intensive properties of a substance depend on environmental conditions such as pressure and temperature.
extensive properties
Extensive properties depend on the amount of matter that is present. A property can be considered extensive when it depends on the sum of several subsystems. In short, extensive properties do not allow one substance to be identified or differentiated from another. Let’s look at some examples of extensive properties:
- Volume.
- Mass.
- Size.
- Weight.
- Length.
The relationship between two extensive properties can be an intensive property. For example, mass and volume are extensive properties, but their ratio, that is, density, is an intensive property of matter.
While extensive properties are adequate for describing a sample, they are not useful for identifying the subject matter as they may vary depending on the size or conditions of the sample.
How to know if a property is intensive or extensive
An easy way to tell if a physical property is intensive or extensive is to take two identical samples of a substance and put them next to each other. If doing so doubles the property value (for example, twice the mass, twice the time), it is an extensive property. If the property has not been changed by altering the sample size, it is an intensive property.
References
- Any Secondary or High School textbook can serve as a reference for the content of the article.
- https://www.todamateria.com/propiedades-intensive-y-extensivas-de-la-materia/
