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, including properties such as color, density, melting point, boiling point, hardness, and state.

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 Property asks what the sample is, what property is being used, and whether a new substance is formed.

Common stuck point: Students often know a formula related to physical property but skip the recognition step: Am I classifying matter or using properties, state, particle behavior, or mixture evidence to describe a sample? That leads to a correct-looking substitution attached to the wrong chemical model.

Sense of Study hint: Ask: Am I classifying matter or using properties, state, particle behavior, or mixture evidence to describe a sample?

Worked Examples

Example 1

easy

Define a physical property and list four examples.

Answer

\text{Physical properties: color, melting point, boiling point, density}

First step

A physical property is a characteristic of a substance that can be observed or measured without changing the substance's chemical identity.

Full solution

2
Examples include color, melting point, boiling point, and density.
3
Observing these properties does not produce a new substance — the original substance remains unchanged.

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.

Example 3

medium

A piece of metal has mass

54\,\text{g}

and volume

20\,\text{cm}^3

. Compute its density and compare to aluminum (

2.70\,\text{g/cm}^3

Example 4

medium

Mercury has density

13.6\,\text{g/cm}^3

. Find the mass of mercury that fills a

5.0\,\text{cm}^3

container.

Example 5

medium

25\,\text{cm}^3

piece of silver has mass

262\,\text{g}

. Find its density and compare to the listed value of

10.49\,\text{g/cm}^3

Example 6

hard

A jeweler has a ring that is supposed to be pure gold. The ring has mass

19.0\,\text{g}

and displaces

1.20\,\text{cm}^3

of water. Pure gold has density

19.32\,\text{g/cm}^3

. Is the ring pure gold?

Example 7

medium

Lead has density

11.34\,\text{g/cm}^3

. What volume does

56.7\,\text{g}

of lead occupy?

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.

Example 3

easy

Classify color as a physical or chemical property.

Example 4

easy

Is melting point a physical or chemical property?

Example 5

easy

Is density a physical or chemical property?

Example 6

easy

Is 'malleability' (can be hammered into sheets) physical or chemical?

Example 7

easy

Is boiling point a physical or chemical property?

Example 8

easy

Is the solubility of sugar in water a physical or chemical property?

Example 9

easy

Is electrical conductivity (ability to carry current) a physical property?

Example 10

easy

Name two physical properties of gold.

Example 11

medium

A substance is described as: silvery, melts at 660 °C, density 2.7 g/cm³, and reacts with acid to release hydrogen. Which descriptions are physical properties?

Example 12

medium

Classify each: (a) flammability, (b) hardness, (c) odor, (d) reactivity with water.

Example 13

medium

Ice melts into liquid water. Explain why melting point is a physical property and not evidence of a chemical change.

Example 14

medium

Why is 'density 19.3 g/cm³' a physical property of gold, while 'does not tarnish in air' is not?

Example 15

medium

A student lists 'rusts easily' as a physical property of iron. Correct the student and explain.

Example 16

medium

Distinguish physical properties from physical changes using boiling water as the example.

Example 17

medium

Which property lets you separate a salt-and-sand mixture, and is it physical or chemical?

Example 18

medium

Is viscosity (resistance to flow) a physical or chemical property, and how would you measure it without a reaction?

Example 19

medium

Is 'tarnishes when exposed to air' a physical or chemical property, and how does it differ from 'shiny'?

Example 20

challenge

Given a labeled card for an unknown metal: 'gray, melts at 1538 °C, density 7.9 g/cm³, conducts electricity, rusts in moist air, dissolves in hydrochloric acid releasing H2.' List the physical properties, then explain the single test that distinguishes the chemical properties.

Example 21

challenge

Two clear liquids look identical. Without causing any reaction, name three physical properties you could measure to tell them apart, and explain why these stay physical.

Example 22

challenge

Explain why 'melting point' and 'flammability' are classified differently even though both describe what happens when you heat a substance.

Example 23

easy

Is luster (shininess of a metal) a physical or chemical property?

Example 24

easy

A block of wood has a mass of

24

g and a volume of

30\,\text{cm}^3

. Find its density.

Example 25

easy

Classify: 'aluminum can be bent into a foil sheet without breaking.'

Example 26

medium

A student finds that a sample of liquid has a density of

1.00\,\text{g/mL}

, a boiling point of

100°\text{C}

, and is clear and colorless. What is the most likely liquid?

Example 27

medium

Sort each into physical or chemical: (a) ice melts in the sun, (b) wood burns to ash, (c) sugar dissolves in tea, (d) iron rusts in damp air.

Example 28

medium

Why is 'flammability' considered a chemical property and not a physical property?

Example 29

medium

A liquid X has boiling point

56°\text{C}

and a strong sweet smell. Liquid Y has boiling point

100°\text{C}

and no smell. Which physical property best separates a mixture of X and Y?

Example 30

medium

Which is NOT a physical property: hardness, color, reactivity with acid, melting point?

Example 31

medium

Classify each as physical or chemical property: (a) milk turns sour, (b) salt dissolves in water, (c) rubber stretches, (d) silver tarnishes in air.

Example 32

hard

An unknown solid has mass

39.3\,\text{g}

and volume

5.0\,\text{cm}^3

. Could it be lead (

11.34\,\text{g/cm}^3

) or gold (

19.32\,\text{g/cm}^3

Example 33

hard

Two clear liquids both look like water. How can you use ONLY physical properties to tell water (

\rho = 1.00\,\text{g/mL}

, b.p.

100°\text{C}

) from rubbing alcohol (

\rho \approx 0.79\,\text{g/mL}

, b.p.

\approx 82°\text{C}

Example 34

hard

A student must separate iron filings, salt, and sand. Which physical property does each separation step use?

Example 35

hard

Ethanol has density

0.789\,\text{g/mL}

. A flask holds

250\,\text{mL}

of ethanol. Find its mass.

Example 36

easy

Is 'odor' (smell) a physical or chemical property?

Example 37

medium

Why is 'boiling point' more useful than 'color' for identifying a clear, colorless liquid?

Example 38

challenge

Object A floats in water; object B sinks. Both have the same volume. What can you conclude about their densities relative to water (

1.00\,\text{g/cm}^3

← Back to Physical Property Practice Mode

Related Concepts

Matter Chemical Property Density State of Matter

Background Knowledge

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

matter