Physical Properties
A characteristic that can be observed or measured without changing the substance.
What is a physical property?
A characteristic that describes a substance's ability to change into a new substance.
What is a chemical property?
A change that affects the form or appearance but not the identity of the substance.
What is a physical change?
A change that creates a new substance with different properties.
What is a chemical change?
Boiling water – Chemical or Physical Change?
Physical change
Name two physical properties of water.
Colorless, boiling point is 100°C, density is 1 g/mL, it’s a liquid at room temperature.
Is flammability a physical or chemical property?
Chemical property
Melting ice is what kind of change?
Physical change
True or False: Burning wood is a chemical change.
True
Rust forming on a bike – Chemical or Physical Change?
Chemical change
True or False: Mass is a physical property.
True
What does reactivity mean in terms of chemical properties?
How easily a substance combines with other substances to form new ones.
Is breaking glass a physical or chemical change? Why?
Physical—it changes shape but not the substance itself.
Name two signs of a chemical change.
Gas produced, color change, temperature change, new substance formed, light or sound.
Mixing baking soda and vinegar – What kind of change and why?
Chemical—new substances form, bubbles show gas produced.
What physical property tells how much matter is in an object?
Mass
What chemical property causes iron to rust?
Reactivity with oxygen
Name two signs that a physical change has happened.
Change in shape, size, state of matter, or texture.
What subatomic particles are used during a chemical change?
What are electrons?
Cutting a piece of paper – What kind of change and how do you know?
Physical—the paper is smaller but still paper.
A student describes a metal as shiny and malleable. What kind of property is this, and why?
Physical property—because it can be observed without changing the metal's identity.
Why can chemical properties only be observed during a chemical change?
Because the substance must be changed into something new to observe them.
How can you tell if a change is only physical and not chemical? Give an example.
The substance is still the same—example: tearing paper.
A cake is baked in the oven. Is this a chemical or physical change, and why?
Chemical—new substances are formed from the ingredients through heat.
A glow stick is activated and starts to glow. What kind of change is this and what evidence supports it?
Chemical—light is produced, which is a sign of a chemical reaction.