Kifayat Khan, Department of Education, University of Haripur, KP, Pakistan: kaif_hu@yahoo.

com

OVERVIEW OF PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES

We are all surrounded by matter on a daily basis. Anything that we use, touch, eat, etc. is an
example of matter. Matter can be defined or described as anything that takes up space, and it is
composed of miniscule particles called atoms. All substances have properties that we can use to
identify them. For example we can identify a person by their face, their voice, height, finger
prints, DNA etc. The more of these properties that we can identify, the better we know the
person. Further, the characteristics that we use to identify matter and distinguish them from one
another are called properties. The different types of matter can be distinguished through two
components: composition and properties. The composition of matter refers to the different
components of matter along with their relative proportions. The properties of matter refer to the
qualities/attributes that distinguish one sample of matter from another. These properties are
generally grouped into two categories: Physical properties and Chemical properties.

Physical properties: Properties that do not change the chemical nature of matter

Chemical properties: Properties that do change that chemical nature of matter

The detail is given in the below flow diagram

Figure 1: Organizational breakdown of chemical and physical properties of matter.

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 Kifayat Khan, Department of Education, University of Haripur, KP, Pakistan: [email protected]

A. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
Physical properties are those that can be observed without changing the identity of the substance.
Physical properties can be observed or measured without changing the composition of matter.
Further, physical properties of matter are usually those that we can observe with our senses. A
substance's physical property allows us to identify the substance without causing a change in the
composition of the substance. Some examples of physical properties are:
 Color,
 Odor or smell,
 Density,
 Hardness,
 Freezing point,
 Boiling point,
 Melting point,
 Infra-red spectrum,
 Attraction (paramagnetic) or repulsion (diamagnetic) to magnets,
 Opacity,
 Viscosity
 Physical state (solid, liquid or gas at certain temperatures and pressures),
 Solubility in water (the ability of substance to dissolve in water)
 Ductility
 Malleability
 Conductivity
Note that measuring each of these properties will not alter the basic nature of the substance.

Physical properties of materials and systems are often described as intensive and extensive
properties. This classification relates to the dependency of the properties upon the size or extent
of the system or object in question. An intensive property is a bulk property, meaning that it is a
physical property of a system that does not depend on the system size or the amount of material
in the system. Examples of intensive properties include temperature, refractive index, density,
and hardness of an object. When a diamond is cut, the pieces maintain their intrinsic hardness
(until their size reaches a few atoms thick). In contrast, an extensive property is additive for
independent, non-interacting subsystems. The property is proportional to the amount of material
in the system.
Intensive properties: A physical property that will be the same regardless of the amount of
matter.
 density: ρ=mv
 color: The pigment or shade
 conductivity: electricity to flow through the substance
 malleability: if a substance can be flattened
 luster: how shiny the substance looks
Extensive Properties: A physical property that will change if the amount of matter changes.
 mass: how much matter in the sample
 volume: How much space the sample takes up
 length: How long the sample is

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 Kifayat Khan, Department of Education, University of Haripur, KP, Pakistan: [email protected]

B. CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
Properties that describe how a substance changes into a completely different substance are called
chemical properties. These properties can then help us model the substance and thus understand
how this substance will behave under various conditions. The more properties we can identify
for a substance, the better we know the nature of that substance.
Chemical properties of matter describe its "potential" to undergo some chemical change or
reaction by virtue of its composition. What elements, electrons, and bonding are present to give
the potential for chemical change. It is quite difficult to define a chemical property without using
the word "change". Eventually one can look at the formula of a compound and state some
chemical property. For example hydrogen has the potential to ignite and explode given the right
conditions. This is a chemical property. Metals in general have they chemical property of
reacting with an acid. Zinc reacts with hydrochloric acid to produce hydrogen gas. This is a
chemical property.
Chemical properties of matter are those that relate to how the substance changes in composition
or how it interacts with other substances. Some examples of chemical properties are:
 Flammability
 Corrosion/oxidation resistance
 Heat of combustion,
 Reactivity with water,
 PH,
 Paper burns
 Iron rusts
 Gold does not rust
 Wood rots
 Nitrogen does not burn
 Silver does not react with water
 Sodium reacts with water
In each of these, the substance's chemical property is its tendency to:
i. react
ii. tarnish
iii. corrode
iv. explode
C. PHYSICAL CHANGES
The changes matter undergoes are classified as either physical changes or chemical changes. A
process in which a substance changes its physical form or appearance but not its basic
composition is called a physical change. Further, a physical change is a change in which the
matter's physical appearance is altered, but composition remains unchanged. Some examples
of physical changes are:
 cutting a piece of paper
 ice melting
 boiling water
 drawing copper into a fine wire
 separating out water from seawater
 separating out oxygen gas from air

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 Kifayat Khan, Department of Education, University of Haripur, KP, Pakistan: [email protected]

A physical change takes place without any changes in molecular composition. The same
element or compound is present before and after the change. The same molecule is present
throughout the changes. Physical changes are related to physical properties since some
measurements require that changes be made. Matter in various states have the following
characteristics:
 Solid is distinguished by a fixed structure. Its shape and volume do not change. In a solid,
atoms are tightly packed together in a fixed arrangement.
 Liquid is distinguished by its malleable shape (is able to form into the shape of its container),
but constant volume. In a liquid, atoms are close together but not in a fixed arrangement.
 Gas is made up of atoms that are separate. However, unlike solid & liquid, a gas has no fixed
shape and volume.
Example of physical change: when liquid water (H2O) freezes into a solid state (ice), it appears
changed; however, this change is only physical as the composition of the constituent molecules
is the same: 11.19% hydrogen and 88.81% oxygen by mass.

D. CHEMICAL CHANGES
A chemical change alters the composition of the original matter. Different elements or
compounds are present at the end of the chemical change. The atoms in compounds are
rearranged to make new and different compounds. Chemical change results in one or more
substances of entirely different composition from the original substances. The elements and/or
compounds at the start of the reaction are rearranged into new product compounds or elements.
Chemical changes are always changes in the composition and form of a substance. In a chemical
change, matter is transformed completely into different materials and new substances are formed.
The types of chemical changes that a substance can undergo are determined by its chemical
properties. Some examples of chemical changes are:
 iron turning into rust in moist air
 extracting sulfur from car battery acid
 overtime, a battery loses its charge
 digesting food
Example of chemical change is Corrosion of Metals describe as under:
Corrosion is the unwanted oxidation of metals resulting in metal oxides.
Magnesium + Oxygen → Magnesium Oxide
2Mg+O2→2MgO
Iron + Oxygen → Iron Oxide (Rust)
4Fe+3O2→2Fe2O3
Using the components of composition and properties, we have the ability to distinguish one
sample of matter from the others.

Problems
The following questions are multiple choices.
1. Milk turns sour. This is a ________________
 Chemical Change
 Physical Change
 Chemical Property
 Physical Property

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 Kifayat Khan, Department of Education, University of Haripur, KP, Pakistan: [email protected]

 None of the above

2. HCl being a strong acid is a __________, Wood sawed in two is ___________
 Chemical Change, Physical Change
 Physical Change, Chemical Change
 Chemical Property, Physical Change
 Physical Property, Chemical Change
 None of the above
3. CuSO4 is dissolved in water
 Chemical Change
 Physical Change
 Chemical Property
 Physical Property
 None of the above
4. Aluminum Phosphate has a density of 2.566 g/cm3
 Chemical Change
 Physical Change
 Chemical Property
 Physical Property
 None of the above
5. Which of the following are examples of matter?
 A Dog
 Carbon Dioxide
 Ice Cubes
 copper (II) nitrate
 A Moving Car
6. The formation of gas bubbles is a sign of what type of change?
7. True or False: Bread rising is a physical property.
8. True or False: Dicing potatoes is a physical change.
9. Is sunlight matter?
10. The mass of lead is a _____________property.

SOLUTIONS
1. Chemical Change
2. Chemical Property, Physical Change
3. Physical Change
4. Physical Property
5. All Of The Above
6. Chemical
7. False
8. True
9. No
10. Physical Property

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 Kifayat Khan, Department of Education, University of Haripur, KP, Pakistan: [email protected]

ELEMENTS, COMPOUND AND MIXTURE

Matter is divided into two types: pure substances and mixture: Pure substances are subdivided
into two categories: elements and compounds.
ELEMENT
An element is a substance that cannot be separated into simpler substances by chemical
reactions. In the periodic table, there are over 100 of these elements. Most of them can be found
naturally on Earth. Others are produced synthetically by nuclear reactions. Elements are
indicated by symbols. It is important to note that the symbol for an element is case-sensitive. The
convention is: the first letter of the symbol of an element is always capitalized the second and
third letters are never capitalized. Some elements like gold, iron, sodium, potassium, lead,
mercury, copper have symbols based on their Latin names.

Gold (aurum) Au
Iron (ferrum) Fe
Sodium (natrium) Na
Potassium (kalium) K
Lead (plumbum) Pb
Mercury (hydrargyrus) Hg
Copper (cuprum) Cu

COMPOUND
Any substance consisting of two or more different types of atoms (chemical elements) in a
fixed proportion of its atoms (i.e., stoichiometry) can be termed a chemical compound.
Compounds are pure substances made of atoms of two or more elements chemically combined in
fixed ratios. Compounds must meet all of these criteria:
 Compounds are pure substances and not mixtures. For example, table salt is not a
compound because it is a mixture of sodium chloride, dextrose and calcium silicate (to keep
it from clumping in high humidity) and potassium iodide (an important nutrient necessary for
proper thyroid function). But if these components are separated physically, each can be
obtained in pure form and each meets all the criteria for compounds.
 Compounds are made of atoms of two or more elements. For example, O2 and O3 are
considered forms of the element oxygen, and not compounds of oxygen.
 Compounds are chemically combined elements. Mixing 2.0 grams of H2 with 70.9 g of
Cl2 in the dark results in a homogenous mixture of H2 and Cl2. Mix the gases in the exact
same proportions in the light and there is a violent explosion. The gas is now 72.9 g of HCl, a
compound. Components in a homogenous mixture may influence each other's chemical
behavior slightly, but there is not radical alteration in chemical and physical properties.
Compounds are completely different chemically and physically from the elements that form
them.
 Atoms of elements combine in fixed ratios to form compounds. Carbon dioxide is always
composed of molecules with two atoms of oxygen for every one atom of carbon. Carbon
monoxide has only one oxygen atom per atom of carbon- and it is a completely different
substance than carbon monoxide.

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 Kifayat Khan, Department of Education, University of Haripur, KP, Pakistan: [email protected]

MIXTURES
A mixture is a combination of two or more substances in which each substance’s identity is
retained. Mixtures are subdivided into two categories: homogeneous
mixtures and heterogeneous mixtures.
a. Homogeneous mixtures are solutions which have uniform composition and appearance
throughout. A solution may be gaseous (eg - air), solid (eg - brass) or liquid (eg - seawater).
If a spoonful of sugar is dissolved in a glass of water, the composition of the sugar solution
becomes the same in the glass. The sugar will not settle out and every spoonful of sugar
solution that is removed from the glass will have the same composition. If the water in the
glass is evaporated to dryness, the sugar retains its identity and can be recovered.
b. Heterogeneous mixtures are mixtures that do not have uniform composition and
appearance throughout. The individual components which make up the mixture remain
physically separated and can be seen as separate components. If a spoonful of sand is
introduced in a glass of water, even after considerable stirring, the sand will settle to the
bottom of the glass. Visually, the sand will separate out and the composition of sand in the
glass will be the greatest at the bottom of the glass. Any attempts to withdraw spoonful of
sand and water will have varying composition of each substance.

SOLUTION
A solution is a homogeneous mixture of two or more substances. It is called a homogenous
mixture, because the composition is uniform throughout the solution. The components of a
solution are mainly of two types, solutes and the solvents. Solvent dissolves the solutes and form
a uniform solution. So, normally solvent amount is higher than the solute quantity. Further, the
solution consists of two or more substances dissolved in a liquid form. Not to get confused with

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 Kifayat Khan, Department of Education, University of Haripur, KP, Pakistan: [email protected]

a mixture, which is heterogeneous--multiple substances exist in varying structures-- solutions are

homogenous, which means that atoms of the solute are evenly dispersed throughout the solvent
(ex. water, ethanol). Think of it as comparing a cup of (dissolved) sugar water and a cup of water
with lego blocks in it. The solute is the substance dissolved in the solution, and the solvent is the
substance doing the dissolving.

Note: All solutions are mixtures but not all mixtures are solutions.

SOLUTE: Solute is a substance that dissolves in a solvent in order to form a solution. Solutes
can be in liquid, gaseous or solid phase. Normally, in a solution, solutes are in a lesser amount
than the solvents. When a solution has the maximum amount of solutes it can dissolve, then the
solution is said to be saturated. The dissolution of a solute in a solvent changes the properties of
the solvents.
Different chemical compounds dissolve in solutes in varying degrees. Some compounds,
such as the strong acid hydrochloric acid (HCl), dissociate completely in solution into ions.
Others, like the weak base ammonia (NH3), only partly dissociate. Yet other compounds like

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 Kifayat Khan, Department of Education, University of Haripur, KP, Pakistan: [email protected]

alcohol do not dissociate at all and remain compounds. Laboratory reactions often involve acids
and bases, which are covered in more detail
SOLVENTS: Solvent is a substance with dissolving capability, thus can dissolve another
substance. Solvents can be in a liquid, gaseous or solid state. Most commonly, liquids are used as
solvents. Among liquids, water is considered as a universal solvent, because it can dissolve many
substances than any other solvent. Gas, solid or any other liquid solute can be dissolved in liquid
solvents. In gas solvents, only gas solutes can be dissolved. There is a limit to the amount of
solutes that can be added to a certain amount of solvent. The solution is said to be saturated if the
maximum amount of the solute is added to the solvent. Solvents can be organic or inorganic. For
example, ether, hexane, and methylene chloride are organic solvents, whereas water is an
inorganic solvent. Solvents can be broadly categorized into two as polar solvents and non-polar
solvents. Polar solvent molecules have a charge separation, therefore, capable of dissolving polar
solutes. In the dissolution process, dipole-dipole interactions or dipole-induced dipole
interactions may occur. Polar solvents can be further divided as polar protic and polar aprotic
solvents. Polar protic solvents are capable of hydrogen bond formation with the solutes.
Therefore, they solvate anions by hydrogen bonding. Water and methanol are polar protic
solvents. Polar aprotic solvents cannot form hydrogen bonds. However, they have large dipole
moments, hence form dipole-dipole interactions with ionic solutes, therefore, solvate them.
Acetone is a polar aprotic solvent. Non polar solvents dissolve non polar solutes. Hexane,
benzene, and toluene are some common non-polar solvents. Other than the above classified
solvents, there are some solvents, which have intermediate polar and non-polar properties.
According to “like dissolve like” phenomenon, solvents dissolve solutes, which match them.
Properties of solvents are essential to know when we use them in laboratories. For example,
knowing the boiling points of solvents helps us to determine how to use distillation methods to
separate them. Alternatively, the density of solvents is important in solvent extraction
techniques. Volatility, toxicity, and flammability are some of other parameters, which we have to
focus, when we are working with different solvents.
Water (H2O) is the most common solvent, used for dissolving many compounds or
brewing coffee. Other common solvents include turpentine (a paint thinner), acetone (nail polish
remover), and ethanol (used in some perfumes). Such solvents usually contain carbon and are
called organic solvents. Solutions with water as the solvent are called aqueous solutions; they
have special properties that are covered.

REFERENCE

1. https://www.ndeed.org/EducationResources/CommunityCollege/Materials/Physical_Chemi
cal/PhysicalProperties.htm
2. http://www.iun.edu/~cpanhd/C101webnotes/index.html
3. http://nobel.scas.bcit.ca/chem0010/unit9/9.3_solubilitycovalent.htm
http://nobel.scas.bcit.ca/chem0010/unit2/2.2_properties.htm#
4. Petrucci, Bissonnette, Herring, Madura. General Chemistry: Principles and Modern
Applications. Tenth ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458: Pearson Education Inc., 2011.
5. Cracolice, Peters. Basics of introductory Chemistry An active Learning Approach. Second
ed. Belmont, CA 94001:Brooks/Cole, 2007.
6. Hill, Petrucci. General Chemistry: An integrated approach, second edition. New Jersey:
Prentice Hall, 1999.