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Notes on Properties
Properties of a substance are the set of characteristics by which the substance is recognized (we call them observations/data in the lab). They can describe:
- what can be observed by examining the substance
- and the way it behaves when brought into contact with other substances or exposed to sources of energy
Properties are either
- extensive- depends on how much of a particular sample is on hand (ex. volume, weight, mass)
- intensive-does not depend on the size of the sample (ex. melting point, boiling point, density)
- used to identify a substance, whereas extensive properties are not useful in identifying a substance
Physical Properties of a substance are those characteristics that can be observed without the production of new substances (ex. color, taste, hardness, density, melting and boiling points, electrical conductivity)
Chemical Properties of a substance are those characteristics that describe how the substance interacts (or fails to interact) with other substances to produce new substances