Physical and Chemical Properties

Physical property is defined as characteristics of matter that are visible to our naked eyes and can be measured; these characteristics are size, shapes, color, state of matter (liquid, gas, and solid), strength, mass, etc. A state of a physical system is described by the value of physical properties. A physical quantity is known as quantifiable physical properties.

A chemical property is defined as characteristics of matter that change from one type to the other when tested and cannot be reversed back to the previous state again. Examples of chemical properties are acidity, the heat of combustion, any type of reaction, toxicity, etc. 

The characteristics of physical properties can be measured and observed without. Testing a physical property or changing the shape of physical property may change the arrangement of the substance but not the structure of the molecules. For example, changing a copper plate to a copper wire is a physical change because the structure of the molecules here remains the same but the shape changes, and these changes are reversible.

Physical properties of a given element may differ from one phase to another but the structure of the molecule remains the same – for example, the state of water changes in solid, liquid, and gas to ice, water, and vapor respectively but these changes are reversible as vapor can be compressed to change its state to liquid (water), and the liquid (water) can be changed to solid (ice) but the chemical identity remains same in all the states i.e. H2O. 

This proves that the physical property of a physical substance remains the same even after the testing or conversion to another state and changes can be converted to the previous state. Physical properties can be measured by not changing the chemical composition of the matter.

Chemical properties are the characteristics of a substance that cannot be identified or determined by normal vision or by touching the substance. The chemical changes that occur to a substance cannot be reversed back again because the identity of the substance changes because of breakage and the formation of new chemical bonds.

 Chemical classification can be built by chemical properties. Chemical properties can be used for separating or purifying it from other substances or can also be used for identifying an unknown substance. To guide the application of material science, the chemical properties of a substance will be generally considered. 

By knowing the chemical properties the chemist can predict the type of chemical reactions. When a substance undergoes a chemical change then the chemical property of a substance can be observed. An example of a chemical change is when iron comes in contact with moisture and air in the environment, formation of rust takes place in the iron, this rust is nothing but the oxidation of iron and this change is irreversible because it cannot be turned into the previous state after getting rusted, rust formation changes the color of the iron.

The difference between physical properties and chemical properties are given in the tabular form below 

Examples of physical properties are size, shape, color, volume, mass, etc.

Examples of chemical properties are oxidation, flammability, chemical reactions, etc.

Conclusion

Physical property is defined as characteristics of matter that are visible to our naked eyes and can be measured, these characteristics are size, shapes, color, state of matter, strength, mass, etc. A chemical property is defined as characteristics of matter that change from one type to the other when tested and cannot be reversed back to the previous state again.