Physical & Chemical Properties/Changes

Front

What is a physical change?

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A physical change is a change that affects one or more physical properties of a substance without altering its chemical composition. Examples include melting, freezing, and dissolving.

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What is a chemical change?

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A chemical change is a change that results in the formation of new chemical substances. It involves a chemical reaction and changes the composition of the original substance. Examples include burning, rusting, and cooking.

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What is a physical property?

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A physical property is a characteristic of a substance that can be observed or measured without changing the substance's chemical identity. Examples include color, mass, volume, and density.

Front

What is a chemical property?

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A chemical property is a characteristic of a substance that becomes evident during a chemical reaction. It describes the substance's ability to undergo changes that transform it into different substances. Examples include flammability and reactivity.

Front

Is melting ice a physical or chemical change?

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Melting ice is a physical change because it changes the state of water from solid to liquid without altering its chemical composition.

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What evidence indicates a chemical change has occurred?

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Evidence of a chemical change includes color change, gas production, formation of a precipitate, and temperature change.

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What happens to the molecules during a physical change?

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During a physical change, the arrangement of molecules may change, but the molecules themselves remain the same and their chemical structure does not change.

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What happens to the molecules during a chemical change?

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During a chemical change, the bonds between molecules are broken and new bonds are formed, resulting in the creation of new substances with different chemical properties.

Front

Give an example of a physical change.

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An example of a physical change is tearing a piece of paper. The paper's physical form changes, but it remains paper.

Front

Give an example of a chemical change.

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An example of a chemical change is the rusting of iron. The iron reacts with oxygen to form iron oxide, a new substance.