Activity No.

4
Physical and Chemical Changes
Chemical is the study of matter and the changes it undergoes. These changes are of two types-physical
changes and chemical changes. In a physical change, one or more physical properties of a substance are altered. No
new substance is formed in a physical change. A chemical change results in the formation of one or more new
substances. These new substances differ in chemical properties and composition from the original substance.

Objectives:
At the end of the activity, you are expected to:
a. Observe and identify the changes that matter undergoes;
b. Recognize and distinguish between physical and chemical changes.

Materials
0.5 g iron fillings 5 mL water 1 graduated cylinder
0.5 g sulfur powder a small piece of magnesium 1 porcelain dish
10 mL vinegar ribbon 1 test tube holder
2 g copper sulfate sheets of paper 1 test tube rack
2 g sodium bicarbonate 1 alcohol lamp 6 test tubes
5 mL hydrochloric acid 1 electronic balance

Procedure:
1. Mix 5 mL of water and 5 mL of vinegar.
2. Mix 5mL of vinegar and 2g of sodium bicarbonate.
3. Tear a piece of paper.
4. Put the pieces of torn paper in a porcelain dish and burn them.
5. Cut a piece of magnesium paper.
6. Prepare 5 mL of hydrochloric acid and add a small piece of magnesium ribbon.
7. Weigh 2 g of copper sulfate. Place the weighed copper sulfate in a test tube.
8. Heat the test tube containing the powder gently for 3 to 5 minutes.
9. Using the balance, measure 0.50 g of iron fillings and 0.50 g of sulfur powder. Mix the samples thoroughly in
a test tube.
10. Heat the test tube containing the iron-sulfur mixture over the alcohol lamp for several minutes until the
mixture glows. Allow the sample to cool and examine it.
11. Record all your observations in the table below.

STEPS Observations Physical Chemical Evidence

1.1 adding water to vinegar 1.1 Water to Vinegar 1.1 Water to Vinegar
1.2 mixing baking soda and  Vinegar and  No occurrence
water water just got of reaction(s)
mixed together. nor new
1.3 Baking soda to substance(s)
vinegar formed.
 It formed 1.2 Baking soda to
bubbles/foams. vinegar
 The bubbles/  A reaction
foams goes up occurred when
when then goes both baking soda
down afterwards. and vinegar got
mixed and forms
a new substance
which is carbon
dioxide gas. The
formation of
bubbles/foams
itself is a
reaction.
 According to the
definition of
 chemical
change, it occurs
when two
substances react
to each other
and/or form a
new
substance(s).

2.1 tearing paper 2.1 Tearing paper 2.1 Tearing paper

2.2 burning pieces of paper  The paper  Simply tearing a
multiplied. paper will not
 As it multiplied, cause any
an individual reactions.
paper diminished  It didn’t also
in size. form a new
2.2 Burning paper substance.
 The paper got  Its composition
burned remains
 Fire stays at the unchanged.
paper ‘till it got 2.2 Burning paper
fully burnt.  New substances
 A gas/smoke were formed
ascends from such as
burning. compound like
 The paper turns Gas: Carbon
into ash after the dioxide and Ash
burning process. from burning.
 According to
the definition of
chemical
change, it
occurs when
two substances
react to each
other and/or
form a new
substance(s).
3.1 cutting magnesium ribbon 3.1 Cutting magnesium 3.1 Cutting magnesium
3.2 adding magnesium ribbon ribbon ribbon
to hydrochloric acid  It transforms  No occurrence
magnesium of reaction nor
ribbon into formation of
smaller pieces. new
3.2 Adding magnesium substance(s).
ribbon to Hydrochloric 3.2 Adding magnesium
Acid ribbon to Hydrochloric
 The magnesium Acid
ribbon got  Magnesium ( an
melted/dissolved. active metal)
 It formed/ release reacts with the
a gaseous hydrochloric
substance (Gas: acid forming a
Hydrogen gas) gaseous
 While releasing substance.
gas, it boils a bit
and forms
bubbles which
causes the test
tube to heat up a
 bit.
4.1 heating copper sulfate 4.1 Heating copper 4.1 Heating copper
4.2 adding water to copper sulfate sulfate
sulfate  It causes test tube  Upon heating,
wall to moist. the color of
 Copper sulfate copper sulfate
changed in color (blue) turns into
(Ash/dirty white ash/dirty white
color). color.
 It remains solid  During the
after the process. process, the
water of
crystallization of
copper sulfate
melts which
causes the test
tube wall to
moist.
 Melting isn’t a
chemical change
because you can
undo it even if
the end
production isn’t
the same like the
starting material.
 Only its physical
property changes
not its chemical
composition.
5.1 mixing iron fillings and 5.1 Mixing iron fillings 5.1 Mixing iron fillings
sulfur powder and sulfur powder and sulfur powder
5.2 heating the mixture of  They got mixed  There’s no
iron fillings and sulfur together. occurrence of
powder  Nothing happens. reaction.
5.2 Heating the mixture Therefore,
of iron fillings and there’s no
sulfur powder chemical
 They got mixed change.
and seems 5.2 Heating the mixture
impossible to be of iron fillings and
separated sulfur powder
(Inseparable)  The process
through any made the two
physical elements
methods. inseparable,
 The mixture’s becomes one and
color changes turns into Iron
(Yellow→Black) sulfide
 The mixture  Producing a new
melts during the substance(s)
process (iron sulfide) is
(solid→liquid) the definition of
and; chemical
 After melting, it change.
solidified  Along with the
(liquid→solid). physical
properties, the
chemical
composition
 changes as well.

Questions:

1. Name two possible indications that a chemical change has taken place. Give examples based on the
experiment.

-2 possible indications that chemical change has taken place if this happens:

• Formation of gas (e.g. when we burn the paper, when we mix the vinegar with baking soda, and when we
put magnesium ribbon and hydrochloric acid together.

• Chemical composition have changed (e.g. when we burn the paper, its chemical composition was altered
when it turns into ash).

2. A chemical change involves the formation of new substances. Briefly describe the new substances that
were formed as a result of each chemical change in the experiment.
 Mixing Vinegar and Baking Soda (It forms a foamy gas and it goes up and down [not continuously
only when it reacts to each other])
 Burning pieces of paper (It forms gas and turns into gray portions of irregular sizes [ash])
 Adding Magnesium Ribbon to Hydrochloric acid (Forms a gas that oozes out from the test tube)
 Heating Iron Filings and Sulfur Powder (Its color turns from yellow to black and changed from solid
to liquid then solidifies)

3. If the following substances are heated, will they exhibit a chemical change or physical change? Explain.
a. oxygen gas
- It will exhibit a chemical change, for it will produce flame (light and heat) when heated. Like
the definition of chemical change, it occurs when a new substance is formed or there's a
reaction.

b. liquid gasoline
- Of course it will exhibit a chemical change, liquid gasoline is flammable. If it is flammable
then it is a chemical change, it will produce flame (light and heat) (carbon and dioxide and
water) as well as its product.

c. aluminum foil
- It will exhibit physical change, actually there's no physical change happened to the foil but to
the heat. As heat gets in contact with the aluminum foil, it will convert the heat into water and
will then turn it into steam (gas).