This page describes chemical and physical properties of matter. As we know, every matter has different properties.
Substances are identified by their properties as well as by their composition. Color, melting point, and boiling point are physical properties. A physical property can be measured and observed without changing the composition or identity of a substance.
For example, we can measure the melting point of ice by heating a block of ice and recording the temperature at which the ice is converted to water. Water differs from ice only in appearance, not in composition, so this is a physical change; we can freeze
the water to recover the original ice. Therefore, the melting point of a substance is a physical property. Similarly, when we say that helium gas is lighter than air, we are referring to a physical property.
On the other hand, the statement “Hydrogen gas burns in oxygen gas to form water" describes a chemical property of hydrogen, because in order to observe this property we must carry out a chemical change, in this case burning. After the change, the original chemical substance, the hydrogen gas, will have vanished, and all that will be left is a different chemical substance—water. We cannot recover the hydrogen from the water by means of a physical change, such as boiling or freezing. Every time we hard-boil an egg, we bring about a chemical change. When subjected to a temperature of about 100 C, the yolk and the egg white undergo changes that alter not only their physical appearance but their chemical makeup as well. When eaten, the egg is changed again, by substances in our bodies called enzymes. This digestive action is another example of a chemical change. What happens during digestion depends on the chemical properties of both the enzymes and the food.
All measurable properties of matter fall into one of two additional categories: extensive properties and intensive properties. The measured value of an extensive property depends on how much matter is being considered. Mass, which is the quantity of
matter in a given sample of a substance, is an extensive property. More matter means more mass. Values of the same extensive property can be added together. For example, two copper pennies will have a combined mass that is the sum of the masses of each penny, and the length of two tennis courts is the sum of the lengths of each tennis court. Volume, defined as length cubed, is another extensive property. The value of an extensive quantity depends on the amount of matter.
The measured value of an intensive property does not depend on how much matter is being considered. Density, defined as the mass of an object divided by its volume, is an intensive property. So is temperature. Suppose that we have two beakers of water at the same temperature. If we combine them to make a single quantity of water in a larger beaker, the temperature of the larger quantity of water will be the same as it was in two separate beakers. Unlike mass, length, and volume, temperature and other intensive properties are not additive.
Substances are identified by their properties as well as by their composition. Color, melting point, and boiling point are physical properties. A physical property can be measured and observed without changing the composition or identity of a substance.
For example, we can measure the melting point of ice by heating a block of ice and recording the temperature at which the ice is converted to water. Water differs from ice only in appearance, not in composition, so this is a physical change; we can freeze
the water to recover the original ice. Therefore, the melting point of a substance is a physical property. Similarly, when we say that helium gas is lighter than air, we are referring to a physical property.
On the other hand, the statement “Hydrogen gas burns in oxygen gas to form water" describes a chemical property of hydrogen, because in order to observe this property we must carry out a chemical change, in this case burning. After the change, the original chemical substance, the hydrogen gas, will have vanished, and all that will be left is a different chemical substance—water. We cannot recover the hydrogen from the water by means of a physical change, such as boiling or freezing. Every time we hard-boil an egg, we bring about a chemical change. When subjected to a temperature of about 100 C, the yolk and the egg white undergo changes that alter not only their physical appearance but their chemical makeup as well. When eaten, the egg is changed again, by substances in our bodies called enzymes. This digestive action is another example of a chemical change. What happens during digestion depends on the chemical properties of both the enzymes and the food.
All measurable properties of matter fall into one of two additional categories: extensive properties and intensive properties. The measured value of an extensive property depends on how much matter is being considered. Mass, which is the quantity of
matter in a given sample of a substance, is an extensive property. More matter means more mass. Values of the same extensive property can be added together. For example, two copper pennies will have a combined mass that is the sum of the masses of each penny, and the length of two tennis courts is the sum of the lengths of each tennis court. Volume, defined as length cubed, is another extensive property. The value of an extensive quantity depends on the amount of matter.
The measured value of an intensive property does not depend on how much matter is being considered. Density, defined as the mass of an object divided by its volume, is an intensive property. So is temperature. Suppose that we have two beakers of water at the same temperature. If we combine them to make a single quantity of water in a larger beaker, the temperature of the larger quantity of water will be the same as it was in two separate beakers. Unlike mass, length, and volume, temperature and other intensive properties are not additive.
