GENERAL CHEMISTRY 1
Matter- the amount of matter is measured by its mass and all the space
that any matter occupies is its volume.
PROPERTIES OF MATTER
Properties of matter refers to characteristics and behaviours that
define and distinguish different types of substances.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
These are properties that can be observed and measured
Properties that are independent of the chemical composition
Physical Changes are generally reversible
There are physical changes that are irreversible
No new substances are formed and the process can often be reversed
PHASE/STATE
The transition from one state to another is a physical process wherein
the form and state may change but the chemical composition is not
altered.
COLOR
The visual perception of an object’s surface based on the light it
reflects.
MASS
The amount of matter in an object
VOLUME
The amount of space an object occupies
SOLUBILITY
It refers to the ability of a solute to be dissolved in a given solvent
DENSITY
It is the measure of the mass of the substance divided by its volume.
MELTING POINT
It is the temperature at which a solid becomes a liquid.
BOILING POINT
It is the temperature at which a liquid becomes a gas.
VOLATILITY
It is a material quality which describes how readily a substance
vaporizes and the tendency to evaporate at a given temperature.
A substance with high volatility is more likely to exist as a vapour and
a substance with low volatility is more likely to be a solid or liquid.
Volatile liquids have low boiling points.
VISCOSITY
It is the measure of how fast or slow a liquid flows and denotes the
opposition to flow.
CONDUCTIVITY
It is the ability of a substance to conduct an electrical charge and
transmits energy in the form of electricity or heat.
HARDNESS
It refers to the resistance of a material to deformation.
MALLEABILITY
It refers to the ability to be hammered or rolled into thin sheets.
DUCTILITY
It is the ability to be drawn into wires.
LUSTER
It is the way a substance reflects light.
CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
These are properties that describes the tendency of matter to react
chemically with other substances.
Properties that can be observed and measured only by performing a
chemical change or chemical reaction.
The chemical structure is altered.
Most chemical changes are irreversible (cooking an egg, baking a
bread, rusting of iron, burning wood, digestion of food, photosynthesis
in plants)
Some are reversible like electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen and
oxygen gases which can be recombined to form water
FLAMMABILITY
It is the ability of a substance to burn or ignite in the presence of
oxygen causing fire.
ACIDITY
When protons are present greater than ions they are acidic.
It is the substance’s ability to react with acid.
The concentration of H+ ions in the solution increases and the
concentration of OH- decreases.
BASICITY
When ions present are greater than protons they are basic.
The concentration of OH- in the solution increases and the
concentration of H+ ions decreases.
TOXICITY
The ability of a substance to harm living organisms through chemical
reactions.
Refers to the degree to which a substance can harm.
CHEMICAL STABILITY
The ability of a substance to remain unchanged under specified
conditions.
