physical property

Examples of physical property in the following topics:

• Physical and Chemical Properties of Matter

  • All properties of matter are either extensive or intensive and either physical or chemical.
  • For example, the freezing point of a substance is a physical property: when water freezes, it's still water (H2O)—it's just in a different physical state.
  • Physical properties are properties that can be measured or observed without changing the chemical nature of the substance.
  • Some examples of physical properties are:
  • Mass and volume are both examples of extensive physical properties.

• Physical Properties of Covalent Molecules

  • The covalent bonding model helps predict many of the physical properties of compounds.
  • The Lewis bonding theory can explain many properties of compounds.
  • Several physical properties of molecules/compounds are related to the presence of covalent bonds:
  • Covalent compounds generally have low boiling and melting points, and are found in all three physical states at room temperature.
  • Therefore, while the covalent bonding model accounts for many physical observations, it does have its limitations.

• Variation of Physical Properties Within a Group

  • The physical properties (notably, melting and boiling points) of the elements in a given group vary as you move down the table.
  • Each element within a group has similar physical or chemical properties because of its atom's outermost electron shell (most chemical properties are dominated by the orbital location of the outermost electron).
  • A physical property of a pure substance can be defined as anything that can be observed without the identity of the substance changing.
  • Physical properties include such things as:
  • Describe the general trends of physical properties within a group on the periodic table.

• Physical Properties of Carboxylic Acids

  • The following table lists a few examples of these properties for some similar sized polar compounds (the non-polar hydrocarbon hexane is provided for comparison).

• Variation of Physical Properties Across a Period

  • The physical properties of elements vary across a period, mostly as a function of bonding.
  • Modern quantum mechanics explains these periodic trends in properties in terms of electron shells.
  • Another physical property that varies across a period is the melting point of the corresponding halide.
  • The physical properties of the chlorides of elements in Groups 1 and 2 are very different compared to the chlorides of the elements in Groups 4, 5, and 6.
  • Describe the general variations in physical properties across a row of the periodic table.

• Background and Properties

  • If these same functional groups are attached to an acyl group (RCO–) their properties are substantially changed, and they are designated as carboxylic acid derivatives.

• Properties of Carbon

  • Carbon has very diverse physical and chemical properties due to the nature of its bonding.
  • Interestingly, carbon allotropes span a wide range of physical properties: diamond is the hardest naturally occurring substance, and graphite is one of the softest known substances.
  • This property allows carbon to form an almost infinite number of compounds; in fact, there are more known carbon-containing compounds than all the compounds of the other chemical elements combined, except those of hydrogen (because almost all organic compounds contain hydrogen as well).
  • It is used in radiometric dating to determine the age of carbonaceous samples (of physical or biological origin) up to about 60,000 years old.

• The Study of Chemistry

  • Chemistry is the study of the composition, structure, properties, and transformation of matter.
  • Chemistry is also the study of matter's composition, structure, and properties.
  • Physical chemistry is the study of the physical properties of chemicals.
  • Biophysical chemistry is the application of physical chemistry in a biological context.
  • Chemistry is the study of the properties, composition, and transformation of matter.

• Functional Groups

  • Functional groups refer to specific atoms bonded in a certain arrangement that give a compound certain physical and chemical properties.
  • In materials science, functionalization is employed to achieve desired surface properties; functional groups can also be used to covalently link functional molecules to the surfaces of chemical devices.
  • It is important to be able to recognize the functional groups and the physical and chemical properties that they afford compounds.

• Physical and Chemical Changes to Matter

  • There are two types of change in matter: physical change and chemical change.
  • There are two types of change in matter: physical change and chemical change.
  • As the names suggest, a physical change affects a substance's physical properties, and a chemical change affects its chemical properties.
  • They are also physical changes because they do not change the nature of the substance.
  • The formation of gas bubbles is often the result of a chemical change (except in the case of boiling, which is a physical change).