Chemical Changes Notes

Chemical Changes

  • A chemical change is a transformation that produces new substances with different properties from the original materials.
  • Examples of chemical changes:
    • An apple changing color to brown.
    • A piece of wood turning into ash and smoke when it burns.
  • Chemical changes happen constantly in our lives, such as:
    • Our bodies processing food.
    • Green plants capturing solar energy to transform carbon dioxide and water into food and oxygen.
    • Cooking processes.

Fruit Ripening: A Chemical Change

  • As a banana ripens:
    • Its color changes.
    • It becomes softer and sweeter.

Unbeneficial Chemical Changes

  • Iron turning to rust.
  • Food spoilage:
    • Results from chemical changes where the ingredients of the food decompose.
    • New substances form.
    • The color changes.
    • An unpleasant odor (gases) is emitted.

Milk Spoilage

  • Milk spoilage is a chemical change.

Evidence of Chemical Change

  • Light and Heat:
    • When you light a piece of wood, it emits light and heat and turns into smoke and ash.
  • Gas Formation:
    • When baking soda is added to vinegar, carbon dioxide gas bubbles emerge and are released from the liquid.
  • Color Change:
    • Color change may be the result of a chemical change, such as when a piece of apple turns brown.

Dissolving Sugar in Water

  • Dissolving sugar in water is a physical change because:
    • The resulting aqueous solution retains the taste of sugar.
    • The original sugar can be recovered by evaporating the water.

Cool Chemistry Experiments

  • Examples of cool chemistry experiments:
    • Elephant toothpaste
    • Color change
    • Colored fire
    • Chemiluminescence
    • Copper and nitric acid
    • Sodium in water
    • Traffic light reaction
    • Thermite reaction
    • Dancing gummy bear
    • Sugar and sulfuric acid
    • Flower shop reaction

Cool Chemical Reactions

  • Luminol
  • Alkali metal in water
  • Thermite reaction
  • Dehydration of sugar
  • Copper and nitric acid
  • Elephant toothpaste
  • Colored fire

Signs of Chemical Reaction

  • Change of color
  • Change of odor
  • Change of temperature
  • Evolution of a gas (formation of bubbles)
  • Precipitate (formation of a solid)
  • Input or release of energy/heat
  • Explosion
  • Sound

Differentiating Chemical and Physical Changes

  • Chemical and physical changes can be differentiated.