states of matter

[dibalulu]

Which are the fifth and sixth states of matter?Who invented and give a breif description.What is the state of fire-gas or plasma or some other?

[kingbob]

so what are 4 , gas, liquid ...and

[greenday]

Liquid crystals are the fourth state of matter, and there are dozens of sub-classes of them themselves. They have properties of solids(crystals), for example there ability to rotate the plane of plane-polarised light (birefringence), and the properties of liquids, ie the ability to flow.

[kingbob]

isan't plasma just a very hot gas under pressure,

[bernardo]

I haven't heard of there being a fifth (or sixth) state of matter, but if the fourth state of matter (plasma) is formed when the atoms become too hot to hold on to their electrons, then maybe the fifth state of matter is formed when the electrons become too hot to hold themselves together - i.e. the quarks which make up electrons fly off on their own.

[bernardo]

Fire is a mixture of gas and solid.  The orange colour of the flame is caused by thousands of tiny solid particles of glowing unburnt carbon.

[Gef]

Just to correct Donaldson. The ability to rotate the plane of polarised light is a molecular property independent of wether the substance is a solid, liquid or in solution.

[Hamish]

Try super critical fluids

[simonella]

There is also Bose-Einstein Condensate (the 5th state of matter). At low temperatures atoms in the condensate act as one.

I spent all yesterday trying to remember where I had heard of this before, and then it gets a mention on page three of todays Guardian! I also seem to remember reading of a 6th state of matter, but still can't think where!

[Marsh]

The sixth state is a fermionic condensate, according to http://www.matthewwalker.net.nz/weblog/index.cfm?552