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Physical and Chemical Properties and Changes
Physical properties can be observed or measured without changing the composition of matter. Physical properties are used to observe and describe matter. Physical properties of materials and systems are often described as intensive and extensive properties. This classification relates to the dependency of the properties upon the size or extent of the system or object in question.
An intensive property is a bulk property, meaning that it is a physical property of a system that does not depend on the system size or the amount of material in the system. Examples of intensive properties include temperature, refractive index, density, and hardness of an object. When a diamond is cut, the pieces maintain their intrinsic hardness (until their size reaches a few atoms thick). In contrast, an extensive property is additive for independent, non-interacting subsystems. The property is proportional to the amount of material in the system.
Intensive properties: A physical property that will be the same regardless of the amount of matter.
- density: ρ=mvρ=mv
- color: The pigment or shade
- conductivity: electricity to flow through the substance
- malleability: if a substance can be flattened
- luster: how shiny the substance looks
Extensive Properties: A physical property that will change if the amount of matter changes.
- mass: how much matter in the sample
- volume: How much space the sample takes up
- length: How long the sample is
Physical Change
Change in which the matter’s physical appearance is altered, but composition remains unchanged.
A physical change takes place without any changes in molecular composition. The same element or compound is present before and after the change.The same molecule is present through out the changes. Physical changes are related to physical properties since some measurements require that changes be made. The three main states of matter are: Solid, Liquid, Gas
- Solid is distinguished by a fixed structure. Its shape and volume do not change. In a solid, atoms are tightly packed together in a fixed arrangement.
- Liquid is distinguished by its malleable shape (is able to form into the shape of its container), but constant volume. In a liquid, atoms are close together but not in a fixed arrangement.
- Gas is made up of atoms that are separate. However, unlike solid & liquid, a gas has no fixed shape and volume.
Physical properties are important in describing and identifying particular kinds matter. Physical properties are very useful in assessing the hazards and predicting the fates of environmental pollutants.
An organic substance that readily forms a vapor (volatile organic compound) will tend to enter the atmosphere or to pose an inhalation hazard.
A brightly colored water soluble pollutant may cause deterioration of water quality by adding water color
.Much of the health hazard of asbestos is its tendency to form extremely small diameter fibers that are readily carried far into the lungs and that can puncture individual cells.
Several important physical properties of matter are density, color, solubility and Thermal Properties
Density (d) is defined as mass per unit volume and is expressed by the formula
d = mass /volume
Density may be expressed in any units of mass or volume. The densities of liquids and solids are normally given in units of grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm3, the same as grams per milliliter, g/ml
The volume of a given mass of substance varies with temperature, so the density is a function of temperature.
This variation is relatively small for solids, greater for liquids, and very high for gases.
The temperature-dependent variation of density is an important property of water and results in stratification of bodies of water, which greatly affects the environmental chemistry that occurs in lakes and reservoirs.
The combined temperature/pressure relationship for the density of air causes air to become stratified into layers, particularly the troposphere near the surface and the stratosphere from about 13 to 50 kilometers altitude.
Specific Gravity
Often densities are expressed by means of specific gravity defined as the ratio of the density of a substance to that of a standard substance. For solids and liquids, the standard substance is usually water; for gases it is usually air. For example, the density of ethanol (ethyl alcohol) at 20˚C is 0.7895 g/ml.
The specific gravity of ethanol at 20˚C referred to water at 4˚C is given by
- Specific gravity = density of ethanol = 0.7895 g/ml = 0.7895
- Density of water 1.000 g/ml
For an exact value of specific gravity, the temperatures of the substances should be specified. In this case the notation of specific gravity of ethanol at 20˚/4˚ C shows that the specific gravity is the ratio of the density of ethanol at 20˚C to that of water at 4˚C
Color is one of the more useful properties for identifying substances without doing any chemical or physical tests. A violet vapor, for example, is characteristic of iodine. A red/brown gas could well be bromine or nitrogen dioxide (NO2 ) A characteristic yellow/brown color in water may be indicative of organically bound iron. Solutions are colored because of the light they absorb.
Red, orange, and yellow solutions absorb violet and blue light; purple solutions absorb green and yellow light; and blue and green solutions absorb orange and red light. Solutions that do not absorb light are colorless (clear); solids that do not absorb light are white
Changing states of matter
Matter can be changed from one state to another by changing it physically or chemically. The following are the important processes that facilitate changes in states of matter.
Melting
Melting occurs when heat is applied to a solid. The solid matter’s particles start to vibrate rapidly and move apart from each other. This process increases the distance between them. Once specific temperature and pressure conditions are achieved, the solid transforms into a liquid. This specific point is known as the solid’s melting point.
Different solids have different melting points. For instance, the melting point of ice (solid water) is above zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) at sea level. However, the melting point of solid oxygen is -218.4 degrees Celsius.
Freezing
Freezing occurs when heat is removed from the liquid, causing its particles to slow down and settle in one location. When the liquid reaches a specific temperature known as its freezing point, it transforms into a solid. For instance, in most cases, fresh water freezes at zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit). Sea water has a lower freezing point due to its salt content.
Sublimation
Sublimation is a process in which a solid is converted directly into a gas, without going through the liquid phase. It is achieved by either increasing the temperature of the substance beyond the boiling point or by freeze-drying it by cooling it under vacuum conditions.
One common example of a solid that converts into a gas via sublimation is carbon dioxide. At room temperate and pressure, solid carbon dioxide is converted into its gaseous form, known as dry ice.
Vaporization
Vaporization is the process of converting a liquid to a gas, either by evaporation or boiling. Since the liquid particles constantly collide with each other, energy is transferred to particles near the surface. When enough energy gets transferred, some particles are removed from the substance as free gas particles. The temperature and pressure conditions under which a liquid becomes a gas is known as its boiling point.
Condensation
Condensation happens when a gas is transformed into a liquid. For instance, when water vapor — a gas — reaches its dew point, it condenses into liquid water called dew.
Deposition
Deposition is a process where a gas gets transformed directly into a solid, without going through the liquid phase. In this sense, deposition is the opposite reaction of sublimation. Deposition usually occurs when the air touching the solid is cooler than the rest of the air. This is what happens when water vapor is transformed directly into ice as frost
Chemical Properties and Changes
Chemical properties of matter describes its “potential” to undergo some chemical change or reaction by virtue of its composition. What elements, electrons, and bonding are present to give the potential for chemical change. It is quite difficult to define a chemical property without using the word “change”. Eventually you should be able to look at the formula of a compound and state some chemical property. At this time this is very difficult to do and you are not expected to be able to do it. For example hydrogen has the potential to ignite and explode given the right conditions. This is a chemical property. Metals in general have they chemical property of reacting with an acid. Zinc reacts with hydrochloric acid to produce hydrogen gas. This is a chemical property.
Chemical change results in one or more substances of entirely different composition from the original substances. The elements and/or compounds at the start of the reaction are rearranged into new product compounds or elements. A CHEMICAL CHANGE alters the composition of the original matter. Different elements or compounds are present at the end of the chemical change. The atoms in compounds are rearranged to make new and different compounds.