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RE: Solid, Liquid, Gas....
By Shadowself on 4/10/2008 12:45:51 PM , Rating: 4
A plasma, properly defined, is indeed a fourth state of matter.

A plasma is not an ionized gas.

A plasma is a state of matter in which the nuclei (protons and neutrons) and electrons are completely decoupled.

Under this definition there are no atoms and thus there are not ions and thus there can be no gas.

RE: Solid, Liquid, Gas....
By ImSpartacus on 4/10/2008 4:02:24 PM , Rating: 2
Good way of putting it. Solids have a rigid structure of electrons (with nucleus), liquids are less rigid, and gases are the least rigid. Plasmas do not have a set structure. The electrons are all over the place.

There you go. Those nerds at Wikipedia compile the states of matter well.

RE: Solid, Liquid, Gas....
By daInvincibleGama on 4/10/2008 5:41:37 PM , Rating: 2
States of matter like solid, liquid and gas have nothing at all to do with electrons. Metals, most of which are classified as solids, actually have a loose electron structure (think electric current). Electron "structure" is mostly a periodic property (think periodic table of elements).

It is the structure caused by intermolecular forces between atoms/molecules that is tight in a solid and extremely loose in a gas. That said, you are right when you say that plasma is basically a gas with no electron structure. A plasma is just a gas with disconnected electrons (which is not a property states of matter are otherwise based upon). It's more like a gas with special properties caused by temperature.

RE: Solid, Liquid, Gas....
By joegee on 4/10/2008 6:48:14 PM , Rating: 2
Well said. Chemistry and physics use the same word to mean different things.


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