Date: Name:

Lab: Chemical versus Physical Change

In a chemical change or chemical reaction, there is a new chemical formed with

different properties than the starting materials or reactants.

Below, list the five clues that suggest a chemical change has occurred:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Observe each of the following activities and record your observations in the third
column. Complete the columns titled “type of change” and “explain” in the previous
table. Under “type of change,” indicate whether the change was physical or chemical.
Under “explanation,” list your reasons for describing each change as either physical or
chemical.

Table 1: Chemical Change Demonstration

Reactants Observations Type of Change Explanation

Burning fire wood
Heating copper
carbonate
Mixing sodium
chloride solution and
silver nitrate
solution
Alka-Seltzer tablets
added to citric acid
Frying an egg
With physical change, there is no new product formed; there is only a change in an
observable property.

Table 2: Physical Change Demonstration

Reactants Observations Type of Change Explanation

Melting of ice
Boiling of water
Dissolving powder
or crystals in water
Crushing a pop can
Ripping a pair of
jeans

Laboratory: Chemical versus Physical Change

Table 3: Chemical versus Physical Change Chart

Reactants Observations Type of Change Explanation

Magnesium in a
Bunsen burner flame
Sulphuric acid is
added to sugar
Crushing up a sugar
cube
Shaking an Italian
salad dressing
container (oil and
water)
Grass growing (Hint:
think about why
grass grows.)
Breaking a hockey
stick
A car rusting
Baking a cake
A snowman melting
during a warm day
Stretching a rubber
band
Analysis

1. A candle burning can be considered to be both a physical and chemical change.

Explain how this is possible.

2. Describe three more examples of chemical and physical changes that occur in
everyday life. Explain why each of these changes is either a chemical or physical
change.