Introduction:

You may be familiar with defining the materials around you by examining their characteristics - those features and behaviors that make them unique and distinctive. For example, you can easily distinguish a pencil by its shape, color, and weight. These characteristics, also known as physical properties, are observable or measurable without affecting the sample's composition. Physical properties are used to describe pure substances, which have a regular and constant structure, leading to consistent properties. Among these familiar physical properties are density, color, odor, hardness, melting point, and boiling point. Scientists consider recording and utilizing these physical properties vital in identifying and classifying the materials in our surroundings.

Article Elements:

1. Physical Properties of Matter:

2. Distinctive and Non-Distinctive Properties:

3. Metals:

4. Chemical Properties of Matter:

5. Chemical Properties of Matter:

6. Note on Material Properties:

7. Material Properties and Their States:

8. Conclusion:

Physical Properties of Matter:

You might be accustomed to identifying materials by their properties - their features and behaviors. For instance, copper can take various forms, exhibiting a physical property. When exposed to air for a long time, it reacts with substances and turns green, demonstrating a chemical property. Table 1-2 lists some common materials and their physical properties.

Distinctive and Non-Distinctive Properties:

Physical properties can be classified into two types: non-distinctive properties, depending on the quantity of the material, such as mass, length, and volume, and distinctive properties, independent of the quantity, like density, melting point, and boiling point. The density of a substance remains the same at constant temperature and pressure, regardless of the quantity. In many cases, a single distinctive property is sufficient to identify a substance.

Metals:

Scientists use physical properties, including color and hardness, to determine the type of metal. For example, malachite, a copper ore, is always green and relatively soft. It was previously used as a pigment and is now employed in jewelry making.

Chemical Properties of Matter:

Chemical properties of a substance manifest when its composition changes through combining with another substance or exposure to external influences, such as heat or electricity. Rust formation when iron combines with oxygen in humid air is an example of a chemical property. The inability of a substance to change into another is also a chemical property, as observed when iron is placed in nitrogen at room temperature without undergoing a chemical change.

Compare Physical and Chemical Properties.

Chemical Properties of Matter:

Chemical properties of a substance manifest when its composition changes through combining with another substance or exposure to external influences, such as heat or electricity. The ability of a substance to combine with others or transform into a different substance is a chemical property. Rust formation when iron combines with oxygen in humid air is an example of a chemical property for iron. The inability of a substance to change into another is also a chemical property, as observed when iron is placed in nitrogen at room temperature without undergoing a chemical change.

Compare Physical and Chemical Properties.

Note on Material Properties:

Each substance has its distinctive physical and chemical properties. The figure illustrates some physical and chemical properties of copper. Copper can take various forms, representing a physical property. When exposed to air for an extended period, it reacts with substances and turns green, illustrating a chemical property. Table 2-2 shows several physical and chemical properties of copper.

Material Properties and Their States:

The properties of copper in Table 2-2 can vary under different conditions. Because the form or state of matter is a physical property, a change in state adds another physical property to the substance. Therefore, it is essential to specify the conditions, including pressure and temperature, under which material properties are observed, as both physical and chemical properties depend on these conditions. Water properties, for example, include being a liquid (a physical property) and non-reactive chemically (a chemical property) under standard conditions of 25°C and 1 atm. Above 100°C, water becomes a gas (a physical property) with a density of 0.000 g/cm³ (a physical property), and it reacts rapidly with various substances (a chemical property). Below 0°C, water becomes solid (a physical property) with a density of 0.92 g/cm³ (a physical property). The low density of ice causes icebergs to float on the ocean's surface, as shown in Figure 7-2.

Conclusion:

1. Understanding the physical and chemical properties of materials significantly contributes to defining and comprehending their behavior. The ability to identify and distinguish materials through their properties reflects the diversity and complexity surrounding the materials in our environment.

2. By monitoring physical properties, we can understand the behavior of materials in their natural state and under different conditions of temperature and pressure. Conversely, chemical properties reveal a substance's ability to react and change its composition on a molecular level.

3. Copper, as an example, demonstrates how a material can adapt to its surroundings and exhibit different properties based on environmental changes. Through monitoring these properties, we discover that materials are not static but rather adaptable and subject to change.

4. Understanding both physical and chemical properties opens doors to a profound understanding of the world of materials around us, aiding us in dealing with them effectively and contributing to our scientific and technological progress.

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