Properties of Matter
Science TEAS Test Review – Properties of Matter
In the previous science TEAS test review lesson you learned about states of matter. This science TEAS test review lesson introduces the properties of matter, which are fundamental to the understanding of chemistry.
The following video will provide a review on What is Matter and the Properties of Matter.
Matter and Its Properties
Aluminum, clothing, water, air, and glass are all different kinds of matter. Matter is anything that takes up space and has mass. A golf ball contains more matter than a table-tennis ball. The golf ball has more mass. The amount of matter that an object contains is its mass. Matter can be liquid, gas, plasma, or a solid. For example, water, ice, and carbon dioxide are all examples of matter.
Table sugar is 100 percent sugar. Table sugar (sucrose) is an example of a substance. A substance is matter that has a uniform and definite composition. Lemonade is not a substance because not all pitchers of lemonade are identical. Different pitchers of lemonade may have different amounts of sugar, lemon juice, or water and may taste different.
All crystals of sucrose taste sweet and dissolve completely in water. All samples of a substance have identical physical properties. A physical property is a quality or condition of a substance that can be observed or measured without changing the substance’s composition. Some physical properties of matter are color, solubility, mass, odor, hardness, density, and boiling point.
Just as every substance has physical properties, every substance has chemical properties. For example, when iron is exposed to water and oxygen, it corrodes and produces a new substance called iron (III) oxide (rust). The chemical properties of a substance are its ability to undergo chemical reactions and to form new substances. Rusting is a chemical property of iron. Chemical properties are observed only when a substance undergoes a change in composition, which is a chemical change.
Intensive and Extensive Properties
Intensive properties do not depend on the amount of matter that is present. Intensive properties do not change according to the conditions. They are used to identify samples because their characteristics do not depend on the size of the sample.
In contrast, extensive properties do depend on the amount of a sample that is present. A good example of the difference between the two types of properties is that mass and volume are extensive properties, but their ratio (density) is an intensive property. Notice that mass and volume deal with amounts, whereas density is a physical property.
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Physical and Chemical Changes
A physical change occurs when a substance changes its physical form or appearance but not its chemical composition. These changes are usually reversible and do not involve the formation of new substances. Recognizing changes that do not alter chemical composition aids in understanding processes like phase changes, which are relevant in both daily life and scientific applications.
Examples of physical changes include:
- Melting: Ice melting into water, changing from solid to liquid state.
- Boiling: Water boiling to form steam, changing from liquid to gas state.
- Dissolving: Sugar dissolving in water, forming a sugar-water solution without altering the chemical structure of sugar.
- Cutting: Chopping wood or slicing bread, changing the shape and size but not the chemical composition.
- Freezing: Water freezing into ice, changing from liquid to solid state.
A chemical change occurs when a substance undergoes a chemical reaction and forms one or more new substances with different chemical properties and compositions. This type of change usually involves the making or breaking of chemical bonds. Understanding chemical changes is the foundation to understanding processes that create new substances, which is essential for comprehending metabolic pathways, drug reactions, and other biological processes within chemistry, A&P, and healthcare.
Examples of chemical changes include:
- Combustion: Burning of wood or gasoline, producing carbon dioxide, water, and heat.
- Rusting: Iron reacting with oxygen and water to form iron oxide (rust).
- Digestion: Food being broken down by enzymes in the stomach, forming new substances.
- Baking a Cake: Ingredients like flour, sugar, and eggs undergo chemical reactions when heated to form a new product.
- Photosynthesis: Plants converting carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen in the presence of sunlight.
The key differences between chemical and physical changes are the following:
Chemical Change: Results in the formation of new substances with different properties; often irreversible; involves changes in chemical composition.
Physical Change: Does not form new substances; usually reversible; involves changes in physical form or state without altering chemical composition.
Let’s Review
- The difference between physical and chemical properties is that chemical properties involve a change in a substance’s chemical composition and physical properties do not.
- Physical properties can be categorized as either extensive or intensive properties.
- Intensive properties do not depend on the amount of matter present, such as color or density.
- Extensive properties do depend on the amount of a sample present, such as mass and volume.
- A physical change occurs when a substance changes its physical form or appearance but not its chemical composition.
In the next science TEAS test review lesson you will learn about chemical bonds.
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