6

Physical and
Chemical Changes
Expected Learning Outcomes

Knowledge to be gained: •Characteristics of physical changes •Characteristics of chemical changes

•Rusting of iron
Skills to be developed: •Categorisation of change as physical or chemical •Crystallisation of
substances
Attitude to be inculcated: •Change is inevitable; it is the only constant.
We have already learnt about changes in Class Irreversible change: A change in a substance in
VI, in brief. Let us recall our memory about such a way that the initial state of the substance
these changes. cannot be obtained back.
If there is an alteration in one or more Now, let us learn about these changes in detail.
properties of a substance due to any external REVERSIBLE CHANGES
or internal factor, it is known as a change.
e following are examples of reversible
Physical change: A change in physical changes:
properties, such as size, shape, colour or state of
u Melting of ice or freezing of water.
a substance without forming new substances.
u Dissolution of salt or sugar into water.
Chemical change: A change in the chemical
u Melting of wax.
properties of a substance due to a chemical
reaction, giving birth to a new substance. u Evaporation or condensation.

Reversible change: A change in a substance in u Expansion of iron rim on heating.

such a way that the initial state of the substance In all the above changes, the initial state of the
can be obtained back. substance can be obtained back by a simple
78 Exploring Science-7
physical process, i.e., change can be reversed. carrying out the following activities to
For example, when ice melts, the ice can again be understand physical changes.
obtained by freezing.
us, the reversible changes are those which
can be reversed, i.e., the initial state or
Activity-1
original substance can be obtained back by Melting of ice and freezing of water.
simple physical methods. Take some ice cubes in a beaker and keep them
IRREVERSIBLE CHANGES in the sunlight for some time. You will observe
that ice starts melting and all the ice melts in
e following are examples of irreversible
some time. Now, put the melted ice (water) in
changes:
an ice tray and place it in a freezer. Aer some
u Sprouting of seeds. time you will get the ice cubes back.
u Growing of plants and animals.
u Flowering of buds.
Activity-2
u Ripening of fruits.
u Burning of coal. Boiling of water to convert into steam and
u Rusting of iron. then cooling the steam to convert it back into
water.
u Digestion of food in stomach.
Take some water in a boiling kettle. Heat the
In all these changes, the initial state of the
kettle, containing water, on a gas burner.
substance or the original substance cannot be
Aer some time, water will start boiling and
obtained back, i.e., change cannot be reversed.
water vapour will evolve. Hold a pan lled
For example, aer sprouting, the seeds cannot
with ice on top by its handle over the steam at
be obtained back.
some distance from the boiling water. You
us, irreversible changes are those changes will observe that the water droplets are
in which the initial state of the substance or collected on the outer surface of the pan.
the original substance cannot be obtained
back. Ice
Steam
All the changes discussed so far can also be
categorised into either physical change or
chemical change. erefore, broadly, changes Water
droplets
are of two types:
u Physical changes
u Chemical changes

PHYSICAL CHANGES Fig.1 Water can be changed

from one state to another
Let us carefully examine some changes by
Physical and Chemical Changes 79

Activity-3
Crushing of chalk stick into powder form and
then making the chalk stick from the
powdered chalk.
Take a chalk stick and crush it into powder form.
Now add a little water to the powdered chalk to
make a paste. Roll it into the shape of a piece of
chalk and let it dry. Once dried, the chalk stick is
formed again.
Activity-4
Cutting a paper sheet into smaller pieces.
Take a paper piece and cut it into smaller
pieces with the help of scissors. Try to reverse
the cutting action. Obviously, it will not be
possible. You cannot join the small pieces of
the paper to get the initial shape of paper.
us, this is an irreversible change, but here
the composition or the properties of the paper
have not been changed by cutting it into
smaller pieces. at is, no new substance is
formed.
In all the above four activities, we see that the
composition of the substance does not change.
u In Activity-1, ice changes into water and
water changes back into ice. us, the
chemical composition of the ice or water
remains the same throughout the activity.
Only the state of the substance changes from
one state to another (solid to liquid and vice-
versa).
u In Activity-2, water gets converted into
water vapour and water vapour gets
converted back into water. Here also, no new
80 Exploring Science-7
substance is formed. Only the change of state
(liquid to vapour and vice-versa) takes place.
u In Activity-3, chalk in the stick form is
converted into powdered form and vice-
versa. ere is no change in the composition
or the properties of the chalk.
u In Activity-4, a big piece of paper changes
into small pieces without changing the
composition or properties of the paper.
Properties such as shape, size, colour, state,
and temperature of a substance are called its
physical properties.
A change in which a substance undergoes a
change in its physical properties without the
formation of any new substance is called a
physical change. Examples :
u Melting of ice or freezing of water.
u Melting of wax.
u Evaporation or condensation.
u Expansion of iron rim on heating and
contraction on cooling.
u Cutting of paper sheet into smaller pieces.
u Dissolution of salt or sugar into water.
Characteristics of a Physical Change
u In a physical change, no new substance is
formed.
u Only the physical properties of the
substance change.
u A physical change is generally reversible.
CHEMICAL CHANGES
In order to understand chemical changes, let us
perform the following activities and carefully
examine the changes that occur during these
activities.
 Magnesium
Activity-5 ribbon
Pair of Tongs
Caution: is activity should be
White light
demonstrated by the teacher only.
Changing magnesium into magnesium
Bunsen
oxide and magnesium oxide into magnesium burner
hydroxide. (a) (b)
Take a small piece of magnesium ribbon.
Clean the surface of the ribbon with the help of White Magnesium Red litmus paper
a piece of sandpaper. Hold one end of the powder turns blue
magnesium ribbon with a pair of tongs and
bring the other end over the ame of a Bunsen
Burner. You will notice that the magnesium
ribbon burns with a dazzling white light. (c) (d)
Fig.3
Collect the white ash (magnesium oxide) and
mix it with a small amount of water. Stir the
mixture (aqueous solution) well. Test the
mixture with blue and red litmus papers. Does
the mixture turn red litmus blue? Does the
mixture turn blue litmus red? On the basis of
this test, how do you classify the aqueous
solution– acidic or basic?
Fig.2 Burning magnesium ribbon
On dissolving the ash in water, it forms a new
Caution substance. is change can be written in the
It is dangerous to stare at the burning form of the following equation:
magnesium ribbon directly. MgO + H₂O Mg(OH)₂
(Magnesium (Water) (Magnesium
oxide) hydroxide)
On complete burning, the magnesium ribbon
gets converted into powdered white ash, Magnesium hydroxide turns red litmus paper
which is different from the magnesium blue.
ribbon. us, a new substance is formed. is
new substance is magnesium oxide. is As you have already learned in Chapter 5,
change can be represented by the following magnesium hydroxide is a base. Magnesium
equation: oxide is a new substance formed due to the
burning burning of magnesium and magnesium
2Mg + O₂ 2MgO
hydroxide is another new substance formed by
(Magnesium) (Oxygen) (Magnesium
oxide) mixing magnesium oxide with water.

Physical and Chemical Changes 81

 e changes that you notice in Activity-6 are
Activity-6 due to the formation of new substances. We can
Caution: To be demonstrated by the teacher write the reaction as:
Copper Sulphate + Iron Iron Sulphate + Copper
only.
(Blue solution) (Grey) (Green (Brown
e blue colour of the aqueous solution of solution) deposits)
copper sulphate changes to green by the
formation of iron sulphate. Activity-7
Dissolve 50 g of copper sulphate (blue vitriol or Take about a teaspoonful of vinegar in a test
neela thotha) in about 100 ml of water in a test tube. Add a pinch of baking soda to it. You
tube. Add a few drops of dilute sulphuric acid to
would hear a hissing sound and see bubbles of
the solution. You should get a blue-coloured
solution. Take half of the solution in another test gas coming out. Pass this gas into freshly
tube. Drop a nail or a used shaving blade into prepared lime water solution as shown in the
the remaining solution. Wait for half an hour. gure below. Vinegar and baking soda react
Observe the colour of the solution. Compare it with each other to release carbon dioxide gas.
with the colour of the original solution which is carbon dioxide gas is then passed into
we have kept separately. lime water.
Take out the nail or the blade. Has it changed What happens to the lime water? Do you
in any way? see any change in the colour of the lime
Observation: You would notice that the water solution?
original solution was blue in colour, but the
solution which had the iron blade/iron nail has
turned greenish. You will also notice that the
blade/iron nail has a brown deposit on it. Carbon
dioxide
Conclusion: Here also new substance is
formed. When an iron nail/blade is dipped
Lime water
into copper sulphate solution, a reaction turns milky
takes place which converts copper sulphate
into iron sulphate. is iron sulphate makes Vinegar +
Baking soda
the solution green. Additionally, you could
nd copper metal deposits on the blade/ nail Fig.5 Carbon dioxide turns lime water milky
which are brown in colour. e change in the test tube can be shown as
follows:
Vinegar + Baking soda Carbon dioxide
Iron nail (Acetic acid) (Sodium +
hydrogen carbonate) Other substances
Green iron e reaction between carbon dioxide and lime
Blue copper sulphate solution
sulphate solution water is as follows:
Copper metal Carbon dioxide + Lime water Calcium carbonate
on iron +
Fig.4 New substances are formed during a chemical reaction Water
82 Exploring Science-7
When carbon dioxide is passed through lime
water, calcium carbonate is formed, which turns
lime water milky. e turning of lime water
into a milky colour is a standard test of carbon
dioxide.
In Activities 5-7, we observed that in each
activity, one or more new substances were
formed.
u In Activity-5, ash was the new substance
formed when magnesium was burnt. e ash
is magnesium oxide. When this magnesium
oxide was dissolved in water, another new
substance magnesium hydroxide was
formed.
u In Activity-6, the reaction of copper sulphate
with iron produced iron sulphate and
copper. Both of these are new substances.
Copper was deposited on the iron blade.
u In Activity-7, vinegar and baking soda
together produced carbon dioxide, which
turned lime water milky. Can you name the
new substance formed in this reaction?
A change in which one or more ne w
substances are formed is called a chemical
change. A chemical change is also called a
chemical reaction.
Unlike physical changes, chemical changes
are permanent changes which generally can’t
be reversed. Some examples of chemical
changes are:
u Burning of magnesium ribbon to form
magnesium oxide.
u Dissolution of magnesium oxide into water
to form magnesium hydroxide.
u Explosion of reworks.
u When food gets spoiled, it produces a foul
smell because of chemical changes.
Physical and Chemical Changes
u Ripening of fruits.
u Burning of coal or burning of any substance.
u Rusting of iron.
u Digestion of food in stomach.
u Conversion of milk into curd.
Chemical changes are very important in our life.
New substances are formed as a result of
chemical changes. For example:
u Metals are extracted from their respective
ores, such as iron from its haematite ore,
with the help of a series of chemical changes.
u A medicine is the end product of a chain of
chemical reactions.
u Useful new materials, such as plastics and
detergents, are produced by chemical
reactions.
Indeed, every new material is discovered by
studying chemical changes.
Characteristics of a Chemical Change
u Formation of one or more new substances
always takes place.
u Chemical properties of a substance change
to form a new substance.
u Chemical changes are more permanent in
nature and generally irreversible.
In addition to formation of one or more new
products, the following may accompany a
chemical change:
u Heat, light or any other radiation (for
example, ultraviolet) may be given off or
absorbed.
u Sound may be produced.
u A change in smell may take place or a new
smell may be given off.
u A colour change may take place.
u A gas may be evolved.
83
 Physical change
No new substance is formed.
Physical changes are generally reversible.
Little to no energy is absorbed or given out.
Checkpoint-1
Write True or False
1. Sprouting of seeds is an irreversible change.
2. Burning of paper is a physical change.
3. Reversible changes are permanent.
4. e burning of a candle is a chemical change.
5. Ripening of fruits is a physical change.
OZONE: A PROTECTIVE SHIELD
Ozone (O₃) is a gas that is found very high in the
atmosphere. Ozone present in the upper
atmosphere forms a layer and protects us
from the ultraviolet rays of the Sun.
Ultraviolet rays could be harmful to us if they
reach Earth’s surface. Ozone absorbs this
radiation and breaks itself down into oxygen.
is breaking of ozone is a chemical change.
When pollutants like chloro uorocarbons
(CFCs) are released into the atmosphere, they
deplete the protective ozone layer and expose us
to the harmful UV rays coming from the Sun.
Harmful UV rays
re ected back
Depletion of
ozone layer
Ozone
layer
Fig.6 Depletion of ozone layer
84 Exploring Science-7
Chemical change
A new substance is always formed.
Chemical changes are generally irreversible.
Energy is usually absorbed or given out,
producing heat, light, sound, etc.
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
RUSTING OF IRON
A change with which you are quite familiar is
the rusting of iron. If you leave a piece of iron in
the open for some time, it acquires a thin layer of
brownish substance on its surface. is
substance is called rust and the process is called
rusting. Iron gates of parks, iron benches kept
in lawns and gardens, almost every article of
iron kept in the open gets rusted. At home, you
must have seen shovels and spades getting
rusted when exposed to the atmosphere for
some time. Rust is not iron. It is different from
iron on which it gets deposited.
Fig.7 Rusting of iron
Let us get back to rusting. is is one change iron from direct contact with air or
that affects iron articles and slowly destroys moisture.
them. Since iron is used in making bridges,
u Galvanisation: e process of depositing a
ships, cars, truck bodies and many other
layer of zinc over iron is called galvanisation.
articles, the monetary loss due to rusting is
It is done by submerging iron objects in
huge. e process of formation of rust on iron
molten zinc and cooling them. Sheet iron
by oxygen and water is known as rusting. It is
objects, like buckets and metal shed roofs,
an example of a chemical change. e process are generally galvanised.
of rusting can be represented by the following
equation: u Chrome-plating: When iron is coated
with chromium, it is called chrome-plating.
Iron + Oxygen + Water Rust
(Fe) (O₂) (H₂O) (Fe₂O₃) Its process is similar to galvanisation.
(from air) (iron-oxide)
u Alloying: Instead of directly using iron, it
For rusting, the presence of both oxygen and
could be mixed with metals like nickel and
water (or water vapour) is essential.
chromium to form stainless steel which does
In fact, if the air is more humid, rusting not rust at all.
becomes faster.
CRYSTALLISATION
Prevention of Rusting
In Class VI, you have learnt that salt can be
ere are a few methods to extend the life of
obtained by the evaporation of seawater. e
iron objects. ey are:
salt obtained in this manner is not pure and its
u Painting: Bodies of cars, buses, trucks, crystals are small. e shape of the crystals
railway coaches, staircase railings, etc., are
cannot be seen clearly. However, large crystals
coated with paint to prevent them from
of pure substances can be formed from their
rusting. is coat of paint on an iron surface
solutions. e process of formation of crystals
shields it from coming in direct contact with
of a substance is called crystallisation. It is an
air or moisture.
example of a physical change.
u Greasing or oiling: ough not as effective
e salt we buy from the market is pure and has
or long-lasting in comparison to other
gone through the process of crystallisation.
methods, a coat of grease or oil also shields
Checkpoint-2
Answer the following
1. In which conditions does rusting become faster?
2. Which metal is coated in the process of galvanisation?
3. Write the equation to represent the process of rusting.
4. Which metals are mixed with iron to make stainless steel?

Physical and Chemical Changes 85

 Activity-8
Caution: To be demonstrated by the teacher only.
Aim: To obtain pure copper sulphate crystals from copper sulphate powder.
Procedure: Take a cupful of water in a beaker and add a few drops of dilute sulphuric acid. Heat
the water. When it starts boiling, add copper sulphate powder slowly while stirring the solution
continuously. Continue adding copper sulphate powder till no more powder can be dissolved.
Once no more copper sulphate powder can be dissolved, you will get a saturated solution of
copper sulphate.

Beaker Beaker

Hot and concentrated Copper sulphate

copper sulphate solution crystals

Tripod
stand

Burner

Fig.8 Obtaining crystals of copper sulphate

Filter the hot copper sulphate solution to remove all insoluble impurities present in the solution.
Once ltered, allow the solution to cool slowly at room temperature. Do not disturb the solution
while it is cooling. Look at the solution aer some time. Can you see the crystals of copper
sulphate? If not, wait for some more time.
Observation and Conclusion: Once the solution has cooled down, you will nd large copper
sulphate crystals settled at the bottom of the beaker. e crystals thus obtained are pure, and the
dissolved impurities are le in the remaining solution.

Keywords
Physical change : Change that affects only the physical properties of a substance and where
no new substances are formed.
Chemical change : Change that involves a chemical reaction and the formation of new
substances.
Chemical reaction : A chemical process which transforms one or more substances into new
substances with new physical and chemical properties.
Galvanisation : Coating the surface of iron with zinc to prevent its rusting.
Crystallisation : A process of making crystals of a solid from its solution.

86 Exploring Science-7
 Points to Remember
u e reversible changes are those which can be reversed back, i.e., the initial state or original
substance can be obtained back by simple physical methods.
u e irreversible changes are those changes in which the initial state of the substance or the
original substance cannot be obtained back by any method.
u Changes can also be grouped as physical changes and chemical changes.
u Physical changes are the changes in the physical properties of substances. No new substances
are formed in these changes. ese changes may be reversible.
u In chemical changes, new substances are produced and are generally irreversible.
u Rusting is a chemical change. For rusting to take place, the presence of both oxygen and water
(or water vapour) is essential.
u Some substances can be obtained in their pure state from their solutions by the process of
crystallisation.

Exercise
A. Tick (3) the Correct Option
1. Which of the following is not a physical change?
(a) Evaporation (b) Condensation
(c) Dissolution (d) Combustion.
2. Which of the following is a reversible change?
(a) Formation of curd from milk (b) Melting of wax
(c) Burning of wood (d) Ripening of fruits.
3. Rusting takes place in the presence of ____________.
(a) moist air (b) dry air
(c) moisture free air (d) none of these
4. Which gas is evolved when baking soda reacts with vinegar?
(a) Hydrogen (b) Oxygen
(c) Carbon dioxide (d) Nitrogen.
5. Which of the following is not a chemical change?
(a) Ripening of fruits (b) Digestion of food
(c) Melting of wax (d) Rusting of iron

Physical and Chemical Changes 87

B. Fill in the Blanks with Suitable Words
1. Changes in which only physical properties of the substance change are called
____________ changes.
2. Changes in which new substances are formed are called ____________ changes.
3. e chemical name of baking soda is ____________.
4. When carbon dioxide is passed through lime water, it turns milky due to the formation of
____________.
5. e process of coating zinc on an iron surface is called ____________.
C. Very-Short-Answer-Type Questions
1. What do you mean by change?
2. De ne physical change.
3. De ne chemical change.
4. Anaerobic bacteria digest animal waste and produce biogas (Change–A). e biogas is
then burnt as fuel (Change–B). e following statements pertain to these changes. Choose
the correct one.
(i) Change–A is a chemical change.
(ii) Change–B is a chemical change.
(iii) Both changes A and B are chemical changes.
(iv) None of these changes is a chemical change.
5. Formation of manure from leaves is a physical change. True or False?
6. Iron and rust are the same substance. True or False?
7. Coating iron objects with zinc could extend the life of the object. True or False?
8. What is galvanisation?
9. Where is ozone found?
10. What is crystallisation?
D. Short-Answer-Type Questions
1. Differentiate between reversible and irreversible changes.
2. Give two examples of each: Physical and chemical changes.
3. What are the basic characteristics of a physical change?
4. What are the basic characteristics of a chemical change?
5. How does ozone protect us on Earth’s surface?

88 Exploring Science-7
 6. Classify the changes involved in the following processes as physical or chemical changes:
(a) Photosynthesis
(b) Dissolving sugar in water
(c) Burning of coal
(d) Melting of wax
(e) Beating aluminium to make aluminium foil
(f ) Digestion of food
E. Long-Answer-Type Questions
1. With the help of a simple experiment, show how physical change takes place. Remember
to mention the aim, materials required, procedure, observation and conclusion of the
experiment.
2. With the help of a simple experiment, show how chemical change takes place. Remember
to mention the aim, materials required, procedure, observation and conclusion of the
experiment.
3. Explain why the burning of wood and cutting it into small pieces are considered as two
different types of changes.
4. Write a brief note on rusting and the conditions necessary for rusting to take place.
5. Discuss the different methods that can be used to prevent rusting.
6. Differentiate between the characteristics of physical and chemical changes.
7. Describe how crystals of copper sulphate are prepared.

HOTS
1. When a candle burns, both physical and chemical changes occur. Identify both kinds of
changes. Give another example of a process in which both physical and chemical changes
take place.
2. LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas) in a gas cylinder is in the form of liquid.
Which physical or chemical change occurs when it comes out of the
cylinder and burns?

Activity Zone
Project Work

A. In Delhi, near Qutub Minar, there is a famous Iron pillar. e

pillar does not rust. Find information about that pillar. Make a
detailed report of your ndings.

Physical and Chemical Changes 89

B. Ships are made of iron. e lower part of the ship is always submerged under water. is part
of the ship rusts faster than other parts. In seawater, the rusting is even faster. Due to this
damage, ship companies suffer huge losses in repairs. Find out why ships rust faster in
seawater. Make a report on your ndings. Give a few suggestions to mitigate these losses.
C. Enlist the various changes occurring in our day-to-day life and categorise them as physical or
chemical changes. Write your observations in a notebook and compare them with those of
your classmates.

Memory Map

Physical change CHANGES IN Chemical change

SUBSTANCE
characteristics characteristics

No new Generally Change in New substance Changes in Generally

substance reversible physical is always formed chemical irreversible
is formed properties properties

Size Shape Colour State Temperature

Acidic or Reaction to Radiation/heat Gas may

basic nature various may be given off be formed
substances

e-Resources
Please visit the link given below or scan the QR code for more resources on
this chapter:
https://www.megamindpublication.com/s-3-science/b-3-exploring-science-7/c-32/physical-and-chemical-
change.html

90 Exploring Science-7