Science - Physical and Chemical Properties of Matter

          Matter is basically everything around you. The scientific definition is, “Matter is anything that takes up space and has mass”. Different types of matter have different properties that will allow us to distinguish one from another. For example, if we put isopropyl alcohol and water in separate beakers, it will be a little difficult to tell one from the other based on appearance alone. Both appear clear or colorless. Luckily, these substances have other properties that are different. Look at the chart below:

Properties	Water	Isopropyl Alcohol
Odor	None	Strong smell
Speed of evaporation	Slow	Fast
Flammability	Not flammable	Highly flammable

          These properties can be classified into two categories: physical and chemical properties.

·      Physical properties can be observed using your senses. Additionally, it can be observed or measured without changing the composition of the substance.

Ex.      The color, odor, and the evaporation speed was observed without changing the substances. They remained water and alcohol even after you have observed the properties.

·      Chemical properties are properties that can be observed when the substance changes into another kind of substance.

Ex.      Flammability of substances is a chemical property because once you set something on fire, it typically turns into another substance. In this example, the alcohol turns into carbon dioxide and water vapor. 

More examples of Physical Properties	Chemical Properties
Length, width, height	Reactivity with water – whether a substance reacts with water
Mass, weight	Heat of combustion – amount of energy released when a substance is burned with oxygen
Freezing, boiling, and melting point	Toxicity – how much a substance can damage organisms
Density	Ability to Oxidize – example is rusting
Viscosity – ability to flow	Half-Life – amount of time it will take for half of the original substance to decay
Attraction to magnet	Flammability – ability of matter to ignite

Here are practice worksheets for this topic:

Science 5 - Physical and Chemical Properties (Practice)
Multiple-choice test on the concepts of these properties

Science 5 - Physical and Chemical Properties (Practice)
Short worksheet on identifying what property is observed and determining if it is a physical or chemical property