Properties of Matter: Physical and Chemical Changes

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards covering the physical and chemical properties of matter, chemical changes, indicators of chemical reactions, and environmental applications.

Matter

Anything that takes up space and has mass, such as a pencil, backpack, or air.

Physical Properties

Characteristics of a substance that can be observed or measured without changing what the matter is made of or altering it into another substance.

Mass

A physical property indicating how much matter is in an object (how heavy it is), measured with a scale in grams ($g$) or kilograms ($kg$), which does not change with gravity like weight does.

Volume

A physical property measuring how much space something takes up, measured with a measuring cup or graduated cylinder in milliliters or liters.

Texture

A physical property describing how something feels when touched, such as smooth like glass, rough like sandpaper, or soft like cotton.

Chemical Property

A characteristic of a substance that describes its ability to change into different substances or how it will behave during a reaction.

Flammability

A chemical property describing whether a substance has the ability to catch fire and burn.

Reactivity

A chemical property describing whether a substance reacts when mixed with water or exposed to air.

Ability to Rust

A chemical property where certain metals, such as iron, react with oxygen and water to form rust, while metals like aluminum do not.

Toxicity

A chemical property indicating whether a substance is harmful or poisonous to living organisms.

Acidity or Basicity (pH)

A chemical property indicating whether a substance acts as an acid (such as vinegar) or as a base (such as baking soda).

Ability to Decompose

A chemical property describing whether a material can break down naturally over time, such as fruits and leaves decomposing readily compared to plastics.

Chemical Change

A process that occurs when a substance transforms into something entirely new, meaning the original materials are no longer the same and cannot easily be reversed.

Precipitate

A solid that forms when two liquids mix together during a chemical reaction.

Signs of a Chemical Change

Observable clues that a chemical reaction is taking place, including color change, gas bubbles, temperature change, new smell, production of light or sound, and formation of a precipitate.

Composting

A beneficial chemical process in nature where food scraps and plant waste break down into nutrient-rich soil.

Photosynthesis

A beneficial chemical process where green plants utilize sunlight to synthesize food and release oxygen.

Acid Rain

A harmful environmental chemical phenomenon where chemicals emitted from factories react with rainwater, producing precipitation that damages plants and infrastructure.

Plastic Breakdown

A harmful environmental chemical process wherein decomposing plastics slowly degrade and release hazardous chemicals.

Eco-Friendly Products

Household cleaners and soaps chosen because they are environmentally safe and do not contaminate waterways with hazardous chemicals.

State of Matter

The physical form that matter takes, which helps explain how it behaves.

Solid

A state of matter that keeps its own shape, such as a brick.

Liquid

A state of matter that takes the shape of its container, such as water.

Gas

A state of matter that spreads out to fill the space it is in, such as air.

Temperature

A physical property describing how hot or cold something is, measured with a thermometer in degrees Celsius ($^\circ\text{C}$).

Magnetism

A physical property describing whether a material is attracted to a magnet, seen in metals like iron, nickel, and cobalt.

Solubility

A physical property describing whether a substance can dissolve in a liquid (usually water), such as sugar dissolving.

Density

A physical property describing how tightly packed the matter is in an object, determining whether it sinks or floats.