Physical Properties
Chemical Properties
Physical or Chemical?
Use the Evidence
Compare the Properties
100
This property describes a substance as a solid, liquid, or gas.
What is state of matter?
100
This property tells whether a material can catch fire.
What is flammability?
100
A magnet attracts an iron nail. Is magnetism a physical or chemical property?
What is a physical property?
100
A student says a substance is yellow. Which property did the student observe?
What is color?
100
This property tells whether a substance can dissolve in water.
What is solubility?
200
This property tells whether a substance allows electricity to flow through it.
What is electrical conductivity?
200
An iron fence can react with oxygen and form rust. What chemical property does this show?
What is the ability to oxidize or rust?
200
Sugar dissolves in water. Is solubility a physical or chemical property?
What is a physical property?
200
Two same-sized blocks have different masses. Which property would help compare how tightly matter is packed in each block?
What is density?
200
A substance’s color can be observed without changing it. Its ability to burn can only be observed during a reaction. Which property is physical, and which is chemical?
What are color (physical) and ability to burn (chemical)?
300
A substance goes from a solid to a liquid at 0 degrees Celsius. Name the physical property measured by that temperature.
What is the melting point?
300
A student places two materials in water. One produces bubbles of a new gas, and the other does nothing. Which chemical property differs?
What is reactivity with water?
300
A candle’s wax melts, then its wick burns. Which event shows a physical property and which shows a chemical property?
What are melting for the physical property and burning for the chemical property?
300
A metal spoon gets hot in soup, but a plastic spoon does not get hot as quickly. Which property explains the difference?
What is thermal conductivity?
300
Two objects have the same size, but one has more mass. Which object has greater density?
What is the object with more mass?
400
Two clear liquids look identical. One turns from a liquid to a gas at 78°C and the other at 100°C. What physical property can identify them?
What is boiling point?
400
The table lists the average pH of several fluids found in the human body.
Which body fluids can be classified as basic?
A. Bile Juice and Blood only
B. Gastric Juice and Urine only
C. Bile Juice, Blood, and Urine
D. Blood, Gastric Juice, and Urine
A. Bile Juice and Blood only
400
A student tests a metal by bending it and then leaving it in water, where it reacts and produces gas. Which observation shows a physical property, and which shows a chemical property?
What are its ability to bend and its reactivity with water?
400
A student tests two unknown substances.
Observation Substance A Substance B
Color White White
Dissolves in water Yes Yes
Burns in a flame Yes No
Which conclusion is best supported by the evidence?
A. The substances are identical because they have the same color and solubility.
B. Substance A is denser because it burns.
C. The substances share two physical properties but differ in a chemical property.
D. Substance B has a higher melting point because it does not burn.
C. The substances share two physical properties but differ in a chemical property.
400
Two metals both conduct electricity. One rusts when exposed to oxygen, while the other does not. Name the property they share and the property that differs.
What are electrical conductivity (shared physical property) and ability to oxidize or rust (different chemical property)?
500
A student tests two unknown solids. Both are white and dissolve in water. Solid A melts at 80°C, while Solid B melts at 115°C.
Which conclusion is best supported by the evidence?
A. The solids must be the same substance because they have the same color.
B. The solids are likely different substances because they have different melting points.
C. Solid B is more soluble because its melting point is higher.
D. Solid A is flammable because it melts at a lower temperature.
B. The solids are likely different substances because they have different melting points.
500
A teacher places 100 mL of vinegar in Flask A and 100 mL of water in Flask B but does not tell the students the identity of the liquid in each flask. A student is asked to use various indicators to identify the vinegar and water in the flasks and record any observations in a table.
Which indicator(s) is (are) most suitable to identify the flask that contains vinegar?
A. blue litmus and phenolphthalein
B. red litmus and phenolphthalein
C. red litmus onlyred litmus only
D. blue litmus only
D. blue litmus only
500
A student places a piece of metal in water. The metal sinks, and bubbles of a new gas form on its surface. Which statement correctly classifies the observations?
A. Both observations show physical properties because the metal is still visible.
B. Sinking shows a physical property; forming a new gas shows a chemical property.
C. Sinking shows a chemical property; forming a new gas shows a physical property.
D. Both observations show chemical properties because they happen in water.
B. Sinking shows a physical property; forming a new gas shows a chemical property.
500
A student tests an unknown substance and records these observations:
- It is shiny.
- It conducts electricity.
- It reacts with water and produces bubbles of a new gas.
Which statement correctly uses the evidence?
A. Shiny appearance is a chemical property; conductivity and reacting with water are physical properties.
B. All three observations describe chemical properties.
C. All three observations describe physical properties.
D. Shiny appearance and conductivity are physical properties; reacting with water is a chemical property.
D. Shiny appearance and conductivity are physical properties; reacting with water is a chemical property.
500
How are electrical insulators different from electrical conductors?
A. Both electrical insulators and conductors are poor carriers of electric current; however, conductors are more expensive.
B. Both electrical insulators and conductors easily carry electric current; however, insulators are more expensive.
C. Electrical insulators are poor carriers of electric current, while electrical conductors easily carry electric current.
D. Electrical insulators easily carry electric current, while electrical conductors are poor carriers of electric current.
C. Electrical insulators are poor carriers of electric current, while electrical conductors easily carry electric current.