CHANGES TO MATERIALS

CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL CHANGE:

Identify properties of and changes in matter as physical or chemical.
Chemistry is the study of matter, its properties, the changes that matter undergoes and the
energy associated with these changes.
The characteristics that enable us to distinguish one substance from another are called
properties. A physical property is a characteristic of matter that is not associated with a change
in its chemical composition.
Physical properties of substances:
 Colour
 State of the substance
 Boiling and melting point
 Density (heavy or light)
A chemical property is a characteristic of matter that is associated with a change in its chemical
composition.
Materials can also undergo chemical changes when the tiny parts making up the matter
themselves change, leading to the formation of new substances. When one of the chemicals is
used up, the chemical reaction stops, but it cannot be reversed.
• When food spoils, it is undergoing a chemical change because it is being broken down by
living organisms.
• If vinegar and bicarbonate of soda are mixed, a rapid chemical reaction occurs. They react
together to change, and create new substances. There is effervescence and carbon dioxide gas
is produced.
• Burning is a chemical change because oxygen chemically combines with another substance.
• Rusting is a chemical change because iron reacts with oxygen and water to form hydrated iron
oxide which is more commonly known as rust.
• Respiration is a chemical change because carbon dioxide and water are produced as new
substances.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CHANGE :