CHAPTER 5 – PROPERTIES AND CHANGES

KEY WORDS
 alchemist: in the past, a researcher who tried to change one element into
another (for example, lead into gold)
 alloy: a homogeneous mixture of a metal with one or more metals or non-metals
 atom: the simplest form of matter that cannot be broken down further in a
chemical reaction
 chemical change: a change in which at least one new substance is formed in
the reaction
 chemical property: a characteristic of a substance that allows the substance to
react with another substance
 colloid: a type of mechanical mixture in which extremely small particles of one
or more substances are evenly and stably distributed in one or more others (e.g.,
whipped cream is a colloid of cream particles in the air)
 combustibility: the ability of a substance to burn in air
 compound: a pure substance made of two or more elements chemically united
 Dalton’s atomic theory: a theory proposed by scientist John Dalton that states
that all matter is made up of small particles called atoms
 density: the amount of mass in a specific volume of matter
 electrolysis: the process of breaking down a chemical compound by passing
electricity through it
 element: a pure substance that cannot be broken down further in a chemical
reaction (e.g., gold, iron, silver, oxygen)
 heterogeneous: describes mixtures that do not have the same (uniform)
composition throughout
 homogeneous: describes pure substances and mixtures that have the same
(uniform) composition throughout
 law of conservation of mass: a law stating that, in a chemical change, the
total mass of the new substances is always the same as the total mass of the
original substances
 law of definite proportions: a law stating that compounds are pure
substances that contain two or more elements combined in fixed (or definite)
proportions
 mechanical mixture: a substance made of more than one kind of particle in
which the particles are not uniformly scattered
 particle theory of matter: a scientific model of the structure of matter; one
part of this theory states that all matter is made up of extremely small particles
 philosopher: a person who studies the nature and meaning of existence or the
principles of the universe
 physical change: a change in which no new substances are produced
 physical property: a characteristic of a substance in which a change occurs but
no new substance is produced (e.g., a physical property of ice is that it melts
into water)
 precipitate: a solid, formed during a chemical reaction, that does not dissolve
 qualitative observation: information that is obtained during any activity in
which no measurements are needed
 quantitative observation: information that is obtained through measurement
and mathematical calculations
 scientific model: an idea or a picture used to explain processes in nature that
cannot be seen directly
 solute: any substance that dissolves in another substance (the solvent)
 solution: a homogeneous mixture of a solute and a solvent
 solvent: any substance that dissolves a solute to make a solution
 suspension: a mechanical mixture consisting of a liquid or gas with small
particles that are distributed through it, but that separate out if the suspension is
left undisturbed
 Tyndall effect: the scattering of light by colloid particles

5.1 – E XPLORING THE N ATURE OF M ATTER

The Particle Theory of Matter
• All matter is made up of extremely tiny particles.
• Each pure substance has its own kind of particle, different from the particles
of other pure substances
• Particles attract each other.
• Particles are always moving.
• Particles at a higher temperature move faster on average than particles at a
lower temperature.

STATE OF THE MATTER

 Solid
 definite shape and volume, constant size
 doesn’t expand or contract very much when heated or cooled
 not easily compressed
 Liquid
 definite volume, does not have definite shape
 compressed slightly
 pressure exerted on a liquid will be transmitted equally in all directions
 particles are not as close to each other as they are in solids, and are able to
slide, glide and slip over one another with relative ease
 Gas
 no volume, no shape
  temperature and pressure have an effect on a gas
 attractive forces between the particles are negligible

 a scientific model helps scientists to picture processes in nature that cannot

simply or directly be seen
 matter can be classified according to
 its state: solid, liquid or gas
 its properties: heterogeneous or homogeneous
 its composition: a mixture, or a pure substance
 the particle theory of matter
explains why pure
substances are always
homogeneous
 because each pure
substance contains its
own unique kind of
particle
 mixtures contain at least two
kinds of particles
 if the particles are evenly
scattered, it’s a
homogeneous solution
 if the particles aren’t
evenly scattered, it’s a
heterogeneous
mechanical mixture

CHANGES IN MATTER
 properties can be used to
identify the kind of matter
 properties change
 changes are classified into 2
categories
 physical change
 a change in matter in which no new substance is formed, but new
properties may appear
 a change of state (melting, boiling, freezing) can be reversed
 ex: ice melting into water
 chemical change
 a change in matter in which at least one new substance with new
properties is formed
 a chemical change is difficult, or impossible to reverse
  ex: burning paper, cooking food

PROPERTIES: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL?

 Properties of Helium and Hydrogen
Property Helium Hydrogen
Colour Colourless Colourless
Density Low (0.18 g/L) Very low (0.09 g/L)
Combustibility Does not burn Burns explosively
 a property is a quality or characteristic
 any property that can be observed or measured without forming a new
substance is a physical property
 density is the amount of matter that occupies a certain space (the mass per
unit volume of a substance)
 any property that describes how a substance reacts with another substance
when forming a new substance is a chemical property
 the ability of a substance to burn in air is called combustibility
 a qualitative physical property is a characteristic of substance that can be
described but not measured
 a quantitative physical property is a characteristic of a substance that can
be measured numerically
 Classification of Properties
Physical
Chemical Qualitative Quantitative
Reacts with water Colour Melting temperature
Reacts with air Texture Boling temperature
Reacts with pure oxygen Taste Density
Reacts with acids Smell Viscosity
Reacts with other pure State Solubility
substances
Toxicity Crystal shape Electrical conductivity
Combustibility Malleability Heat conductivity
Stability Ductility
 The physical properties of different substances (Figure 5.6)
 Copper reacts with substances in air to form a green coating that artists call
patina.
 Gold has the property of malleability, so it can be hammered into thin sheets
and different shapes.
 Sulfur will react with oxygen to form a new substance, sulfur dioxide.
 Iron melts at the extremely high temperature of 1535°C.
 A solid that is ductile can be stretched to form a wire.

DENSITY BY THE NUMBERS

 Density = Mass/Volume, or D = m/V
CAN YOU EVER BE SURE ABOUT CHANGES?
 it can be difficult to decide if a change is physical or chemical
 if you make two or more of the following observations, then a chemical change
probably took place
 heat is produced or absorbed
 the starting material is used up
 a new colour appears
 a starting colour disappears
 a material with new properties forms
 gas bubbles form in a liquid
 grains of solid precipitate form in a liquid

5.2 – M IXTURES
 mixtures make up most of the matter in the world
 solutions are one kind of mixture

EXPLAINING THE PROPERTIES OF SOLUTIONS

 particles in a solution are very tiny
 the substance that dissolves a solute to form a solution is called the solvent
 the solute is the substance that dissolves in the solvent
 every solutions keeps some properties from its solute and some from its solvent
 dissolving is a physical change because it can be reversed by methods based on
differences in physical properties
 the particle theory of matter explains that the solutes are present as separate,
individual particles, which are too small to see
 transparency is a property of a homogeneous mixture
 lack of transparency may be a sign of a heterogeneous mixture
 alloys are homogeneous mixtures of one or more metals
 adding small amounts of other substances dramatically changes the properties
of a pure metal
 e.g. adding a small amount of carbon to pure iron (which is relatively soft and
easily rusts) makes steel, which is much stronger.
 if nickel and chromium are also added, it makes stainless steel, which
doesn’t rust
 the nickel was made with pure nickel in 1922, but now the nickel is made using
an alloy called cupronickel, which is 75% copper and 25% nickel
 gold is too soft to be used in jewellery, so an alloy is used, such as gold and
copper
 the gold adds its colour and lustre, and resistance to chemical change
  the copper adds hardness

MECHANICAL MIXTURES
 mechanical mixtures are heterogeneous
 you can see the different particles in them
 they can be further classified into three categories, based on size of the particles
 ordinary mechanical mixture
 the different parts are big enough to see, and they stay mixed
 they don’t settle out or separate on their own

5.3 – C OMPOUNDS AND E LEMENTS

 compounds are pure substances that are made up of two or more elements
chemically combined together
 can be broken down into elements again by chemical means

SHIFTING VIEWS OF THE ELEMENTS

 philosophers thought about why matter behaves as it does, but they didn’t do
any “hands-on” research or experimentation
 the Greeks had a four-element theory that all matter consisted of some
combination of just four elements: air, fire, earth, and water
 alchemists did lots of hands-on investigations
 they believed that some elements could be changed into others
 especially that “base” elements (e.g., lead) could be changed into gold
 they developed many useful procedures, such as distillation, and probed the
properties of many materials

THE DEVELOPMENT OF A MODERN

VIEW OF ELEMENTS
 electrolysis is the process of
decomposing a chemical
compound by passing an electric
current through it
 the law of definite proportions
states that compounds are pure
substances that contain two or
more elements combined in fixed
(or definite) proportions
 the law of conservation of mass states that in a chemical change, the total
mass of the new substances is always the same as the total mass of the original
substances

5.4 – A TOMIC T HEORY : E XPLAINING C HEMICAL F ACTS AND L AWS

 The particle theory of matter doesn’t distinguish one particle from another, so a
more powerful theory is needed, thus, Dalton’s Atomic Theory was thought up
by John Dalton
Dalton’s Atomic Theory
• All matter is made up of small particles called atoms.
• Atoms cannot be created, destroyed, or divided into smaller particles.
• All atoms of the same element are identical in mass and size, but they are
different in mass and size from the atoms of other elements.
• Compounds are created when atoms of different elements link together in
definite proportions.
 Dalton’s model uses the idea that elements are different because their particles
(atoms) are different
 a more accurate definition of an element:
An element is a pure substance made up of one type of particle, or atom. Each
element has its own distinct properties and cannot be broken down into simpler
substances by means of a chemical change.