Log out Go to App
Go to App

Learning Materials

Features

Discover

Chapter 1: Problem 15

Using examples, explain the difference between a physical property and a chemical property.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Physical properties can be observed or measured without changing the identity of the substance - like boiling point or colour. Chemical properties, however, require the substance to change into a different substance - like reactivity or flammability.

Step by step solution

01

Understand Physical Property

A physical property is a characteristic that can be observed or measured without changing the identity of the substance. Physical properties include colour, shape, size, density, melting point and boiling point. For instance, the boiling point of water is a physical property because changing the temperature of water to its boiling point only changes its state from liquid to gas, not its identity. It remains water.
02

Understand Chemical Property

A chemical property, on the other hand, describes the ability of a substance to combine with or change into one or more other substances. These include reactivity, flammability, and oxidation state. For example, the reactivity of sodium with water is a chemical property. When sodium reacts with water, it changes into a new substance, sodium hydroxide, and produces hydrogen gas.
03

Differentiate Between Physical and Chemical Properties

The main difference between physical and chemical properties lies in whether the identity of the substance is changed. Physical properties can be measured or observed without altering the substance’s identity, while chemical properties involve the substance changing into a different substance.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Start your free trial

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

Classify each of the following as an element, a compound, a homogeneous mixture, or a heterogeneous mixture: (a) water from a well, (b) argon gas, (c) sucrose, (d) a bottle of red wine, (e) chicken noodle soup, (f) blood flowing in a capillary, (g) ozone.

The average time it takes for a molecule to diffuse a distance of \(x \mathrm{~cm}\) is given by $$ t=\frac{x^{2}}{2 D} $$where \(t\) is the time in seconds and \(D\) is the diffusion coefficient. Given that the diffusion coefficient of glucose is \(5.7 \times 10^{-7} \mathrm{~cm}^{2} / \mathrm{s},\) calculate the time it would take for a glucose molecule to diffuse \(10 \mu \mathrm{m}\), which is roughly the size of a cell.

A student is given a crucible and asked to prove whether it is made of pure platinum. She first weighs the crucible in air and then weighs it suspended in water (density \(=0.9986 \mathrm{~g} / \mathrm{mL}\) ). The readings are \(860.2 \mathrm{~g}\) and \(820.2 \mathrm{~g},\) respectively. Based on these measurements and given that the density of platinum is \(21.45 \mathrm{~g} / \mathrm{cm}^{3},\) what should her conclusion be? (Hint: An object suspended in a fluid is buoyed up by the mass of the fluid displaced by the object. Neglect the buoyance of air.)

Explain what is meant by the scientific method.

Carry out the following operations as if they were calculations of experimental results, and express each answer in the correct units with the correct number of significant figures: (a) \(5.6792 \mathrm{~m}+0.6 \mathrm{~m}+4.33 \mathrm{~m}\) (b) \(3.70 \mathrm{~g}-2.9133 \mathrm{~g}\) (c) \(4.51 \mathrm{~cm} \times 3.6666 \mathrm{~cm}\) (d) \(\left(3 \times 10^{4} \mathrm{~g}+6.827 \mathrm{~g}\right) /\left(0.043 \mathrm{~cm}^{3}-0.021 \mathrm{~cm}^{3}\right)\)
See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Chemistry Textbooks

Inorganic Chemistry

Read Explanation

Chemistry Branches

Read Explanation

Chemical Analysis

Read Explanation

Chemical Reactions

Read Explanation

Physical Chemistry

Read Explanation

Organic Chemistry

Read Explanation
View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free