HOW THINGS CHANGE & REACT WITH
ONE ANOTHER
Physical changes can be reversed; chemical
changes cannot be reversed with the
substance changed back without
extraordinary means, if at all. For example, a
cup of water can be frozen when cooled and
then can be returned to a liquid form when
heated. If one decided to mix sugar into water
to make sugar water, this would be a physical
change as the water could be left out to
evaporate and the sugar crystals would
remain. However, if one made a recipe for a
cake with flour, after, sugar and other
ingredients and baked them together, it would
take extraordinary means to separate the
various ingredients out to their original form.
When heat is given off in a chemical change
There are two possible definitions for physical or reaction, it is called an exothermic
and chemical change : reaction. When heat is absorbed in a
chemical change or reaction, it is called an
A physical change is reversible, a chemical endothermic reaction. The speed at which
change is not always. For example, the freezing chemical reactions take place depend on the
of water would be a physical change because it temperature pressure and how concentrated
can be reversed, whereas the burning of wood is
the substances involved in the chemical
a chemical change and the burning cannot be
reaction are. Sometimes substances called
withdrawn once having burnt.
catalysts are used to speed up or help along a
A physical change is a change in which no chemical reaction.
new substance is formed, a chemical change
results in the formation of one or more new
substances. Again, consider the previous
There are two types of changes:
examples: freezing water into ice just results
in water molecules, which are stuck together Physical Change
it is still H2O. Whereas burning wood results
ash, carbon dioxide etc, all new substances, In a physical change, there is only a change of
which were not, there when you started state. The new substance has the same properties
burning. as the old one. No new substance(s) are produced.
Ice-water-steam (They are all still water !) For
A physical change in a substance does not
example: ice melting to water or water boiling. In
change what the substance is. In a chemical
all of these changes, you can get the original
change where there is a chemical reaction, a
materials back! A physical change may also
new substance is formed and energy is either
involve changing the shape of the substance.
given off or absorbed. For example, if a piece
Paper cut into pieces is still paper, ploughing a
of paper is cut up into small pieces, it still is
field but the field still remains as soil, cutting
paper. This would be a physical change in the
wood into pieces is still wood, and moulding a
shape and size of the paper. If the same piece
sculpture is still cement or marble Physical
of paper is burned, it is broken up into
changes are reversible changes.
different substances that are not paper.
The following are the examples of physical 22. Hydrogen H
change, which is also a temporary change:-
23. Sulphur S
(a) Stretching rubber band
24. Carbon C
(b) Chewing of food
25. Helium He
(c) Putting an electric switch on and off
(d) Breaking a stick Chemical formulae of some familiar
chemical compounds:
(e) Tearing clothes
(f) Ploughing a farm Compound Chemical
Formulae
(g) Sawing wood etc.
1. Water H2O
(h) Melting of ice-cream etc.
2. Carbon dioxide CO2
(i) Dissolution of resin in alcohol
3. Hydrochloric acid HCl
(j) Formation of dew, hail, snow, frost, mist and fog
4. Sulphuric acid H2SO4
(k) Evaporation of water from sea, river lake etc
5. Nitric acid HNO3
Chemical symbols of some familiar
chemical elements 6. Carbonic acid H2CO3
Element Symbol 7. Phosphoric acid H3PO4
1. Potassium K
8. Sodium Oxide Na2O
2. Barium Ba
9. Sodium Chloride NaCl
3. Calcium Ca
10. Sodium sulphate Na2SO4
4. Sodium Na
11. Sodium carbonate Na2CO3
5. Magnesium Mg
12. Sodium hydroxide NaOH
6. Aluminium Al
13. Sodium nitrate NaNO3
7. Zinc Zn
14. Magnesium Oxide MgO
8. Iron Fe
15. Magnesium Chloride MgCl2
9. Nickel Ni
16. Magnesium sulphate MgSO4
10. Tin Sn
17. Magnesium MgCO3
11. Lead Pb Carbonate
12. Hydrogen H 18. Magnesium Mg(OH)2
hydroxide
13. Copper Cu
19. Magnesium nitrate Mg(NO3)2
14. Mercury Hg
20. Calcium oxide CaO
15. Silver Ag
21. Calcium chloride CaCl2
16. Platinum Pt
22. Calcium sulphate CaSO4
17. Gold Au
23. Calcium carbonate CaCO3
18. Fluorine F
24. Calcium hydroxide Ca(OH)2
19. Chlorine Cl
25. Zinc oxide ZnO
20. Iodine I
26. Zinc Chloride ZnCl2
21. Oxygen O
27. Zinc sulphate ZnSO4
28. Zinc carbonate ZnCO3 j. Respiration in living being
29. Zinc nitrate Zn (NO3)2 k. Digestion
30. Ferrous oxide FeO In the chemical change, gas is evolved; change
of state, precipitate formation and the energy
31. Ferric Oxide Fe2O3
transfer takes place. Consider the following
32. Ferrous Chloride FeCl2 examples of chemical changes:
33. Ferric Chloride FeCl3 a. Zinc reacts with hydrochloric acid to form
34. Ferrous sulphate FeSO4 Zinc chloride and hydrogen gas is evolved.
35. Ferric Sulphate Fe2(SO4)3 Zn + 2HCl ZnCl2 + H2
36. Lead trioxide Pb3O4 b. In the process of photosynthesis, solar
energy is transferred or change to chemical
37. Lead monoxide PbO
energy
38. Mercury oxide HgO
CO2 + 12 H2O C6H12O6 + 6H2O + 6O2
39. Copper sulphate CuSO4
c. Two gaseous substance H2 and O2 react
Chemical change together to form wter, which is a liquid.
This satisfies that the change of state takes
In a chemical change, one or more new
place during a chemical change.
substances are created. The new substance is
different from the original. It has properties that 2H2(gas) + O2(gas) 2H2O (liquid)
are different from those of the starting d. Sindoor (vermillion) is chemically lead
materials. In addition, you can get the original nitrate. When it is heated, the compound
matter back conveniently. liberates oxygen and forms a yellowish
substance called lead oxide.
Consider an ordinary box of matches. A single
match in a box can remain unchanged forever. 2Pb3O4 6PbO + O2
However, if someone were to take the match
and then light it a flame light up and the burns
out. What remains will have changed forever. Rusting is a significant difficulty because it wears
The match can never be lighted again. The off the structure of bridges, iron railings, machine
parts, agricultural equipments such as khurpi,
match has undergone a chemical reaction.
spade, sickle etc. Rusting is a type of corrosion.
Chemical changes are irreversible changes.
Eating away of metals due to oxygen, carbon
The following are the examples of chemical dioxide, water vapour, hydrogen sulphide (a gas
changes: with pungent smell) etc. present in the atmosphere
is called corrosion. Eating away of metals due to
a. Rusting of iron oxygen alone is called rusting. The powdery
b. Burning of fuel such as, gas, petrol etc. substance that is deposited on iron (metals) is
called rust. Prevention of rusting has always been
c. Oxidising food for energy a challenge and involves a huge expenditure.
d. Lighting a match Fe (iron) + O2 (Oxygen from atmosphere + H2O
(from moisture water) = Fe2O3 (Ferric Oxide or rust)
e. Decay of food, dead plant and animal
bodies Rusting is a process of slow oxidation. It is a
chemical change which is responsible for
f. Cooking of food destroying the iron articles such a khurpi, kodal
etc. slowly.
g. Butter turning sour
By greasing and oiling of metal accessories,
h. Photosynthesis in plants tools and machines.
i. Fermentation of fruit juice etc.
The process of coating a metal with other The process of obtaining crystals from its
suitable material to stop its contact with air, saturated solution at a higher temperature is called
water or moisture is called galvanization. crystallisation. It is a physical change as no new
Iron sheets are dipped in molten zinc to coat substance is formed. A crystal has a similar set of
the surface of iron objects or sheets with a chemical property as that of mother liquid. The
thin layer of zinc. A thin layer of zinc on iron main aim to crystallize a substance is to obtain a
protects the surface or iron from rusting or pure substance from their naturally occurring
corrosion. Bicycle wheels and wheels of impure substance.
automobiles are coated with nickel and
chromium, which makes them lustrous, Common Salt and the sea water
protects from rusting and becomes durable.
Common salt is obtained from seawater by
Painting on a metal forms a layer on the the process of crystallization. Seawater is
metal surface to detach it from the contact of richest source of salt. Seawater is rich of
air, water or moisture. This prevents a metal aquatic lives. Their excreta and dead of
from getting corroded or rusted. aquatic plants and animals keep on decaying
and salts from their remains keep on adding
salt to the seawater. Various rivers and rain
also add salt to seawater. Water is the best
Solids with regular geometric shapes such as solvent known to us. Deposition of salt in
square, a triangle, a quadrilateral or a pentagon seawater is much larger than the capacity it
etc. formed from regular arrangements of particles can dissolve. Seawater is saturated solution of
are called crystals. The edges of crystals are salt. Excess of salt sediments to the bottom of
straight and the surfaces flat. Substances that form sea. A saturated solution of seawater contains
a crystal are called crystalline. Solids without a around 35 gm of dissolved salt per litre of
regular shape are called amorphous substances. water. This why seawater is saline.
EXERCISE # 1
(A). Answer the following in not more than 20 (d) A reaction in which an acid reacts with a
words. base to form a salt and water
Q.1 Define a physical change (B). Answer the following in not more than 40
words.
Q.2 Define a chemical change
Q.1 How would you decide whether a change is
Q.3 Classify the following into physical and chemical
physical or chemical ? Mention two
changes
characteristics of each kind of change.
(a) The cooking of food
(b) The evaporation of a liquid Q.2 Discuss why the dissolving of salt in water is a
(c) The digestion of food physical change
(d) burning Q.3 Discuss an example of physical and chemical
(e) The condensation of water vapour changes happening together.
Q.4 What are the following called ?
(C). Answer the following in not more than 100
(a) A reaction in which two or more reactants
words.
add up to form a product Q.1 Giving one example of each kind, show that a
change in energy takes place when a physical or
(b) A reaction in which one substance breaks
a chemical change occurs.
down into two or more simpler substances
Q.2 Describe an activity to find the conditions
(c) A reaction in which one element displaces
required for rusting.
another from a compound and takes its
place in the compound
EXERCISE # 2
(A). Choose the correct option.
Q.1 Which of the following is not a reversible
change ?
(a) The changing of water into steam
(b) The melting of iron
(c) The burning of kerosene
(d) The freezing of water
Q.2 Which of the following is a reversible change ?
(a) The burning of wax
(b) The melting of wax
(c) The curdling of milk
(d) The cooking of food
Q.3 During which of the following changes are new
substances formed ?
(a) Melting (b) Sublimation
(c) Evaporation (d) Rusting
Q.4 Rusting takes place in
(a) air-free moisture
(b) moisture-free air
(c) moist air
(d) None of these
Q.5 In which of the following processes is light
absorbed ?
(a) Sublimation (b) Burning
(c) Rusting (d) Photosynthesis
Q.6 Match the columns A and B
A B
(a) Neutralisation (i) Burning of carbon
reaction
(b) Displacement (ii) Formation of
reaction carbon dioxide
when baking
soda is heated
(c) Decomposition (iii) Deposition of
reaction copper when an
iron nail is
placed in a solution
of copper (II)
sulphate
(d) Combination (iv) Formation of
reaction sodium chloride
and water when
hydrochloric acid
reacts with sodium
hydroxide
