Physical Property Examples in Chemistry

Start with the recap, study the fully worked examples, then use the practice problems to check your understanding of Physical Property.

This page combines explanation, solved examples, and follow-up practice so you can move from recognition to confident problem-solving in Chemistry.

Concept Recap

A characteristic of matter that can be observed or measured without changing the substance's chemical identity.

Properties you can detect just by looking, touching, or measuring — without turning the substance into something else.

Read the full concept explanation →

How to Use These Examples

  • Read the first worked example with the solution open so the structure is clear.
  • Try the practice problems before revealing each solution.
  • Use the related concepts and background knowledge badges if you feel stuck.

What to Focus On

Core idea: Physical properties describe what a substance is like. They help identify and classify substances without chemical reactions.

Common stuck point: Melting ice is a physical change (still H₂O), but burning wood is a chemical change (new substances form).

Worked Examples

Example 1

easy
Define a physical property and list four examples.

Solution

  1. 1
    A physical property is a characteristic of a substance that can be observed or measured without changing the substance's chemical identity.
  2. 2
    Examples include color, melting point, boiling point, and density.
  3. 3
    Observing these properties does not produce a new substance — the original substance remains unchanged.

Answer

\text{Physical properties: color, melting point, boiling point, density}
Physical properties are observed without altering the composition of the substance. They are useful for identifying and classifying matter without performing chemical reactions.

Example 2

medium
A student measures the following properties of an unknown metal: density = 8.96\,\text{g/cm}^3, melting point = 1085°\text{C}, color is reddish-orange, and it conducts electricity. Are these physical or chemical properties? Use them to identify the metal.

Practice Problems

Try these problems on your own first, then open the solution to compare your method.

Example 1

medium
Classify each property as physical or chemical: (a) iron has a density of 7.87\,\text{g/cm}^3, (b) sodium reacts vigorously with water, (c) diamond is the hardest natural substance, (d) gasoline is flammable.

Example 2

hard
Ethanol has a boiling point of 78.4°\text{C} and water boils at 100°\text{C}. Explain how this difference in physical properties can be used to separate a mixture of ethanol and water.
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Background Knowledge

These ideas may be useful before you work through the harder examples.

matter