CAMBRIDGE SECONDARY

TWO SCIENCE

CHAPTER 9: MATERIAL CHANGES

9.1 PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CHANGES

Physical changes involve change of state.

Examples of physical changes:
(i) When liquid water freezes it becomes a
solid
(ii) When liquid water evaporates it forms
a gas
In a physical change, no new substances
are formed.

9.1 PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CHANGES

In a chemical change, new substances

are formed.
We can show what happens during a
chemical reaction using a word equation.
The substances at the start of the
reaction are the reactants. The new
substances that are formed are the
products.

9.1 PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CHANGES

Chemical reaction between iron and sulfur

When iron is heated with sulfur, iron
sulfide is formed. The iron atoms have
bonded with the sulfur atoms.
Iron + Sulfur

Iron sulfide

9.1 PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CHANGES

Another chemical reaction (electrolysis of

water)
In some chemical reactions, a substance
breaks apart to produce 2 or more new
substances.
Electricity can be used to make water
split into hydrogen and oxygen.

9.1 PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CHANGES

Water

Oxygen + Hydrogen

9.2 BURNING

Burning is a chemical reaction. The

substance that is burnt combines with
oxygen.
When magnesium metal is burnt, a white
powder, magnesium oxide is formed.
Magnesium + Oxygen

Magnesium oxide

9.2 BURNING

Video on burning of magnesium:

9.2 BURNING

The products formed in a chemical

reaction have different properties from
the reactants.
Magnesium
(reactant)
Element or
compound?

Oxygen (reactant)

Magnesium
oxide (product)

Element

Element

Compound

State at room
temperature

Solid

Gas

Solid

Appearance

Soft, shiny,
malleable

Colourless, has
no smell

White,
powdery

Conducts electricity?

Yes

No

No

Melting point (C)

651

-214

2800

9.3 REACTIONS WITH ACIDS

Some metals react with acids, producing

hydrogen gas. Examples:
(i) Magnesium +
Magnesium +
Hydrogen
Hydrochloric
chloride
acid
(ii) Zinc + Sulfuric
Zinc + Hydrogen
acid
sulfate

9.3 REACTIONS WITH ACIDS

Testing for hydrogen gas

9.3 REACTIONS WITH ACIDS

Carbonates react with acids, producing

carbon dioxide gas. Examples:
(i) Calcium
Calcium
carbonate +
chloride +
Hydrochloric
Water +
acid
Carbon dioxide

9.3 REACTIONS WITH ACIDS

(ii) Copper
carbonate +
Hydrochloric
acid

Copper
chloride +
Water +
Carbon dioxide

9.3 REACTIONS WITH ACIDS

Testing for carbon dioxide gas

Bubble the gas through limewater

9.4 REARRANGING ATOMS

When a chemical reaction takes place, no

new atoms or elements are formed or
lost. Thus, the total mass of the reactants
equals the total mass of the products
(law of conservation of mass).

9.4 REARRANGING ATOMS

Example 1:
In the reaction between iron and sulfur,
the iron and sulfur atoms are still there
at the end. They have just rearranged
themselves.
Iron + Sulfur

Iron sulfide

9.4 REARRANGING ATOMS

Example 2:
In the reaction between magnesium and
hydrochloric acid, the magnesium is
still present in the product as part of the
compound magnesium chloride while the
hydrogen is present as hydrogen gas.

9.4 REARRANGING ATOMS

Magnesium + Hydrochloric

Magnesium
chloride
+

Hydrogen

9.5 MORE ABOUT CONSERVATION OF MASS

Sometimes results in experiments are

unexpected.
Finding explanations for the unexpected
results can lead to new ideas about
science.

9.5 MORE ABOUT CONSERVATION OF MASS

Example 1:
When

9.5 MORE ABOUT CONSERVATION OF MASS

Example 2:
Some magnesium is placed in a crucible and the mass of the crucible with the magnesium is recorded

9.6 DETECTING CHEMICAL REACTIONS

How to detect a chemical

reaction

Example

A colour change

Gently heating black copper oxide

with sulfuric acid produces a blue
solution of copper sulfate

A gas is given off

When magnesium is placed in

hydrochloric acid, bubbles of
hydrogen gas are given off

Diagram

9.6 DETECTING CHEMICAL REACTIONS

How to detect a chemical

reaction

Example

Heat is produced

When potassium is placed in water,

hydrogen gas is given off. The
reaction produces so much heat that
the gas burns

A change in pH

If you add potassium to water that

contains Universal Indicator, you
see the indicator change colour from
green to purple

Diagram

9.6 DETECTING CHEMICAL REACTIONS

How to detect a chemical reaction

A precipitate is formed

Example
Limewater (calcium hydroxide
solution) is used to detect
carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide
makes limewater turns cloudy
because a
precipitate of calcium carbonate
forms

Diagram

9.7 RUSTING

A lot of chemical reactions are useful for

example: cooking and respiration. But
some reactions are not very useful for
example: rusting.
Rust is formed when iron reacts with
oxygen in the air. The product is iron oxide
(rust) which is an orange-brown solid.
Iron + Oxygen
Iron oxide

9.7 RUSTING

Rust is only formed when both oxygen

and water are present.

Conditions for rusting

9.7 RUSTING