CBSE CHAPTER 6 STUDY NOTES

PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CHANGES

CLASS: VII STUDY NOTES SCIENCE

Every day we come across many changes that are taking place all around us. Some changes that we
notice around us are melting of ice, cooking of food, stretching a rubber band, evaporation of water,
cutting of paper, etc.
In chemistry, these changes can be classified into two categories:
• Physical changes
• Chemical changes

PHYSICAL CHANGES
• Properties such as shape, size, colour and state of a substance are called its physical properties.
• A change in which a substance undergoes a change in its physical properties is called a physical
change.
• A physical change is generally reversible.
• In such a change, no new substance is formed.

Let us understand some of them in detail.

Example – 1: Interconversion of states of matter (Reversible physical change)

The interconversion of states of matter is a physical change. You might have observed that ice, when
taken out of a refrigerator melts and changes into water and when put back in the refrigerator, it

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freezes into ice again. During melting or freezing of water, no new substance is formed, only the state
of water changes.

Similarly, on boiling, water changes into steam. On cooling, the steam again changes back into the
water. So again, there is only a change in the state of the water an no change in the chemical
composition of water occurs.

Example – 2: Crushing and making of chalk (Reversible physical change)

To observe a physical change with the help of chalk, crush some pieces of it into dust. Add a little
water to the dust and make a thick paste of it. Roll this paste into the shape of a chalk piece, and let it
dry. On drying, you will get back the chalk with its original properties. Therefore, physical change is
a reversible change.

Example – 3: Cutting of paper into pieces (Irreversible physical change)

Take a piece of paper and cut it into four square pieces. Now cut each square piece further into four
square pieces. Lay them on a table so that pieces acquire the shape of the original paper. Although
the chemical composition of each piece of paper is similar to that of the original paper, even then you
cannot join all the pieces back to make the original paper without cut marks. Thus, the cutting paper
is an irreversible physical change.

Example – 4: Blade over flame (Reversible physical change)

Hold a used hack-saw blade with a pair of tongs. Keep the tip of the free end on the flame of a gas
stove. Wait for a few minutes. Does the colour of the tip of the blade change? Remove the blade from

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the flame. Observe the tip once again after some time. Does it get back its original colour? The hack-
saw blade changed colour on heating and became red hot and once it was removed from heat, it
regained its original colour.
This is an example of temporary colour change in reversible reaction of physical change.

Example – 5: Crystallisation (Reversible physical change)

Seawater contains salts dissolved in it which makes it salty. We have learnt in Class VI that salt can
be obtained from seawater by the process of evaporation. The salt obtained in this manner is not pure
and its crystals are small. The shape of the crystals cannot be seen clearly.

Large crystals of pure substances can, however, be obtained from their solutions by the process of
crystallisation. It is an example of a physical change. The process of cooling a hot concentrated
solution of a substance to obtain crystals is called crystallisation.

The process of crystallisation is used to obtain crystals of a pure solid substance from the
impure solid substance.
Process:
• Take a cupful of water in a beaker and add a few drops of dilute sulphuric acid.
• Heat the water. When it starts boiling add copper sulphate powder slowly while stirring
continuously.
• Continue adding copper sulphate powder till no more powder can be dissolved.
• Filter the solution. Allow it to cool. Do not disturb the solution when it is cooling.
• Look at the solution after some time. Can you see the crystals of copper sulphate? If not, wait
for some more time.

Characteristics of Physical Changes

We noticed that the important characteristics of physical changes are as follows:

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 • No new substance is formed in this change.
• It is a temporary change and is generally reversible.
• A temporary change in colour may take place.
• Very little energy (heat, etc) is either absorbed or evolved.

CHEMICAL CHANGES
• A change in which one or more new substances are formed is called a chemical change.
• A chemical change is also called a chemical reaction.
• The change is permanent and irreversible.
• There is an exchange of energy during a chemical change. This means the heat or light or
both might be given out or consumed.

Some day to day examples of chemical changes is – rusting of iron, the ripening of fruits, bursting of
crackers, souring of milk, burning of paper or coal, decomposition of organic matter, etc.

Let us understand some of them in detail.

Example – 1: Burning of paper and coal (Irreversible chemical change)

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Take a piece of paper and burn it. It turns into ash. This is a new substance; whose properties are
different from the paper. The ash cannot change into paper again. Therefore, the burning of paper is a
chemical change.

Coal is primarily made of carbon. On burning, coal reacts with oxygen present in the air to form
carbon dioxide gas. We cannot change carbon dioxide back to carbon by any physical method.
Therefore, the burning of coal is a chemical change.

Example – 2: Rusting of iron (Irreversible chemical change)

When an iron object is left exposed to moist air, it chemically reacts with oxygen and water in the air
to form a red-brown flaky substance called rust.
The process of rusting can be represented by the following equation:
Iron + Oxygen + Water → Iron oxide
(from air) rust
Rusting occurs in the presence of both oxygen and water.
• The more humid the air, the faster the rusting occurs.
• Presence of salt in water makes it faster.
The rust slowly eats away or corrodes the iron, leading to considerable loss. Since iron is used in
making bridges, ships, cars, truck bodies and many other articles, the monetary loss due to the rusting
is huge.

Prevention of Rusting
Rusting can be prevented by not allowing the iron to come in contact with moisture and air. The
simplest method is to coat the iron with oil, grease or paint. These coats should be applied regularly
to prevent rusting.

A more efficient method is to coat the iron with another metal such as zinc or chromium. The process
of depositing a layer of zinc on iron is called galvanisation. The iron pipes we use in our homes to
carry water are galvanised to prevent rusting.

Rusting of ships is a major problem in the shipping industry as the body of a ship is always in contact
with water and the air around it is also very humid. The salt in water speeds up the process of rusting.
This leads to huge monetary loss to the shipping industry.

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Rusting of iron can be prevented by allowing it to make stainless steel. Stainless steel is made by
mixing iron with carbon and metals like chromium, nickel and manganese. It does not rust.

Example – 3: Burning of Magnesium ribbon

Get a small piece of a thin strip or ribbon of magnesium. Clean its tip with sandpaper. Bring the tip
near a candle flame. It burns with a brilliant white light.
The change can be represented by the following equation:
Magnesium + Oxygen → Magnesium oxide

Collect the ash and mix it with a small amount of water. Stir the mixture well. On dissolving the ash
in water it forms a new substance.
This change can be written in the form of the following equation:
Magnesium oxide + Water → Magnesium hydroxide
Magnesium hydroxide is a base. So, when we test with litmus paper, it turns red litmus paper blue.

Example – 4: Displacement reaction

• Half-fill a beaker with water. Add a teaspoon of copper sulphate to it. Stir it well.
• Copper sulphate dissolves completely and we get a blue coloured solution.
• Take some of this solution in another beaker.
• Add a nail or a used shaving blade into the solution.
• Leave this set-up for about half an hour.
• Observe the colour of the solution, compare it with the colour of original solution.
• Take out the iron nail or blade, observe it carefully.
• The changes that you notice are due to a reaction between copper sulphate and iron.
• The change of colour of the solution from blue to green is due to the formation of iron
sulphate, a new substance.
• The brown deposit on the iron nail is copper, another new substance.

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We can write the reaction as:
Copper sulphate solution + Iron → Iron sulphate solution + Copper
(blue) (green) (brown deposit)

Example – 5: Reaction between Vinegar and Baking soda solution

Take about a teaspoonful of vinegar in a test tube. Add a pinch of baking soda to it. You would hear a
hissing sound and see bubbles of a gas coming out. Pass this gas through freshly prepared lime water.

The change in the test tube is as follows:

Vinegar (Acetic acid) + Baking soda (Sodium hydrogencarbonate) → Carbon dioxide + other
substances
The reaction between carbon dioxide and lime water is as follows:
Carbon dioxide + Lime water → Calcium Carbonate + Water
When carbon dioxide is passed through lime water, calcium carbonate is formed, which makes lime
water milky.

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Example – 6: Depletion of ozone layer
You must have heard of the ozone layer in our atmosphere. It protects us from the harmful ultraviolet
radiation which come from the sun. Ozone absorbs this radiation and breaks down to oxygen.
Ozone ------------------> Oxygen gas + oxygen atom
(radiation)
As two new substances are formed by breaking down of ozone, it is a chemical change.
If ultraviolet radiation were not absorbed by ozone, it would reach the earth’s surface and cause harm
to us and other life forms. Ozone acts as a natural shield against this radiation.

Characteristics of Chemical changes

(How to know that a chemical change has taken place? / What are the indicators of chemical
change?)

• One or more new substances are produced in a chemical change.

• Heat, light or any other radiation (ultraviolet, for example) may be given off or absorbed.
• Sound may be produced.
• A change in smell may take place or a new smell may be given off.
• A colour change may take place.
• A gas may be formed.