Physical and Chemical Properties Flashcards

Physical Properties

• Defined as features of matter that can be observed without altering the identity of the material.
• Examples include color, density, conductivity, smell, malleability, melting point, taste, ductility, boiling point, texture, solubility, and magnetism.

Malleability and Ductility

• Malleability refers to the ability of a substance to be flattened or stretched without breaking; metals exhibit high malleability.
• Ductility is the ability of a substance to be stretched into a wire.

Solubility

• Solubility is the measure of how well one material dissolves in another, influenced by temperature, stirring, surface area, and the amount of solute.
• A solute is the material that is being dissolved, while a solvent is the substance that does the dissolving.

Examples of Solvent and Solute

• In chocolate milk, milk acts as the solvent and chocolate syrup as the solute.
• In tea, hot water serves as the solvent and tea leaves as the solute.

Other Physical Properties

• Magnetism relates to how well a substance adheres to a magnet.
• Thermal conductivity indicates how effectively heat travels through a material.
• Electrical conductivity measures how well electricity flows through a substance.
• Melting point is the temperature at which a solid becomes a liquid; boiling point is where a liquid transforms into a gas.
• Characteristic properties, such as density, melting point, and boiling point, remain constant regardless of the quantity of substance.

Chemical Properties

• A chemical property describes the ability of a pure substance to undergo chemical changes, resulting in new substances.
• Examples include flammability, which assesses a material's ability to react with oxygen to produce heat or flame, and reactions with acids, which may produce bubbling or hydrogen release.

Non-reactivity

• Non-reactivity refers to the inability of a substance to undergo a chemical reaction.

Chemical Reactions

• Chemical reactions typically produce new substances and are usually irreversible.