Question

Write the symbols for all physical states.

Answer 1

Hint: Physical states tell us about the forms of elements or compounds that are visible to us. These are used to make the chemical reaction more informative and involves all the states of matter in parenthesis with their particular symbols in.

Complete step by step answer:
Physical states are the form of states of matter in which the compound or element is present and is visible to us. The physical states of the reactants and products are mentioned along with their chemical formula in a chemical reaction in order to make a chemical equation more informative.
There are four common symbols used for depicting physical states. These are (s), (l), (g) and (aq). Let us discuss each term one by one.
(s) stands for solid state of matter. Compounds which are solid in state, can be either reactant or product such as limestone and quicklime in the following reaction.
 \[CaC{O_3}(s)\mathop \to \limits^\Delta CaO(s) + C{O_2}(g)\]
(l) stands for liquid state of matter. Compounds which are in liquid state in reactants or products are represented by this symbol. For example, water is in a liquid state in the following reaction.
 \[2{H_2}(g) + {O_2}(g) \to 2{H_2}O(l)\]
(g) stands for gaseous phase or state of matter. In a chemical reaction, if the reactants or products are present in the gas phase, they are represented by this symbol. For example, in the above reaction of water synthesis, hydrogen and oxygen are in gas form.
(aq) stands for those liquids which are dissolved in water or soluble in water. Most of the liquids we use in the chemical reaction are in aqueous form. For example, hydrochloric acid and zinc chloride are in aqueous state.
 \[Zn(s) + HCl(aq) \to ZnC{l_2}(aq) + {H_2}(g)\]

Note:
There are other symbols than these four which we commonly see in a chemical equation. For a precipitate formed in a chemical reaction it is represented by \[( \downarrow )\] and for the gases that are liberated during a reaction, they are represented by \[( \uparrow )\].