Figure 2 Physical Versus Chemical Properties

Physical property Chemical property

Reactivity with Oxygen

Shape Bending an iron An iron nail can react
nail will change its shape. with oxygen in the air to
form iron oxide, or rust.

S8CS4.a, S8P1.d

WRITING The Right Stuff

State Rubbing alcohol Flammability Rubbing SKILL When choosing
is a clear liquid at room alcohol is able to burn
materials to use in manufac-
temperature. easily.
turing, you must make sure
their properties are suitable for
their uses. For example, false
teeth can be made from acrylic
Comparing Physical and Chemical Properties
plastic, porcelain, or gold.
How do you tell a physical property from a chemical property? According to legend, George
You can observe physical properties without changing the Washington wore false teeth
identity of the substance. For example, you can find the made of wood. Do research
and find what Washingtons
density and hardness of wood without changing anything
false teeth were really made
about the wood. of. In your science journal,
Chemical properties, however, arent as easy to observe. write a paragraph about what
For example, you can see that wood is flammable only while you have learned. Include
it is burning. And you can observe that gold is nonflammable information about the advan-
tages of the materials used in
only when it wont burn. But a substance always has chemical modern false teeth.
properties. A piece of wood is flammable even when its not
burning. Figure 2 shows examples of physical and chemical
properties.

Characteristic Properties
The properties that are most useful in identifying a substance chemical property a property of
are characteristic properties. These properties are always the same matter that describes a substances
ability to participate in chemical
no matter what size the sample is. Characteristic properties reactions
can be physical properties, such as density and solubility, as
well as chemical properties, such as flammability and reactiv-
ity. Scientists rely on characteristic properties to identify and
classify substances.

Section 3 Chemical Properties 51